To Fall and To Stand
by A Christy
Summary: The boys head to New Mexico and Sam has a 'shared' vision with a young woman, while Dean shares something else with her...
1. Chapter 1

**_A.N.:_** OK, I hope you guys can wade through the somewhat wordy exposition on the new characters, but I sort of wanted to get them introduced and get that out of the way. Hopefully you make it through!

Um, I'm not that new to fanfiction, but I am new to "Supernatural" fanfic so I hope you can bear with me if I make mistakes. And I'm making this rated a little higher than necessary maybe... not sure yet. Sometimes I slip into the more graphic sexual arena, so I just thought I'd play it safe from the beginning!

I own nothing, but I hope the folks that do own "Supernatural" keep the episodes coming because truly, I can't get enough of this show!

* * *

Sam had a flash of a face and then nothing more. He paused in his stride, surprised by the brief vision.

Dean continued talking, not realizing his brother was no longer walking beside him. "I guess it'll be interesting to head back to Kansas again. There's nothing quite like the smell of cow manure while we trip down the old dysfunctional family lane-" He stopped and looked back to where Sam had paused. "Dude?"

"Yeah- Yeah I'm coming." He caught up with Dean, an odd expression on his face.

"You have another vision, Nostradamus?"

"Nah." Then he stopped walking again and looked at his brother in mild confusion. "Or, maybe?" He blew out a stream of air. "I don't know man. It was just weird."

"Weird like our usual kind of weird, or weird like... Michael Jackson?" He looked at Sam, a look of comprehension dawning across his features. "Although now that I think about it, maybe old MJ might just be a shapeshifter... We better get down to Neverland Ranch."

Sam couldn't help but snort at that one, but he returned to his vision. "It was just... I dunno. It was just such a quick image. And there was no pain for a change. It was almost like I was just remembering someone, but I know I've never met her before."

"_Her_? That's more like it. Was she hot?" Dean smiled wolfishly and Sam shook his head as if shocked at his brother's behaviour, despite the fact that this style of banter had long been their regular routine.

"I couldn't tell you. It was so fast I barely remember more than dark hair."

"Bummer. But I do like a brunette."

Sam looked at Dean, nonplussed. "Seems to me hair colour isn't really much of an issue for you, generally speaking."

Dean grinned wider. "You say that like it's a bad thing, man. I'm all for equal opportunity."

"Yeah, you're a real humanitarian."

"That's what the ladies tell me."

They climbed into the Impala, Sam still shaking his head and trying not to say anything to further encourage his delusional brother.

* * *

Danielle stared at the glass of water on the table in front of her as though transfixed, the sudden image of the dark haired young man still lingering in her brain.

"Are you listening to me? Hello?" Drew snapped her fingers annoyingly in Dani's face and she broke from her reverie with a frown.

"Yes, yes. I heard you. And I'm ready to go." She stood up and moved towards the front door. "I _have_ been for about half an hour, in fact."

Drew looked at her sister's minimalist make-up job and conservative attire and smirked. "Well sorry, but it takes a little longer to achieve this look." She spread her hands wide as if she was introducing a product on The Price is Right. "And if you made a little more effort, you could look a little more appealing too, you know. Afterall, you have genetics on your side."

Dani barely acknowledged her twin's comments and opened the front door. "Mmm hmm. The driver's waiting, so...?"

Drew's perfectly coiffed hair barely moved as she shook her head with the usual disappointment and moved past her sister, walking down to the waiting car. As Dani closed the front door and followed, she voiced a question she was sure she already knew the answer to, but still hoped she'd be wrong for a change.

"So since when are you so interested in board meetings anyway?"

Drew flashed her usual predatory smile, one that made lesser men shrink back nervously. "Why, because I want to keep my eye on our money, of course."

Dani's heart sank. She never ceased to hope that one day her sister might actually develop into a socially conscious, caring individual who wanted to contribute to society, but the likelihood of that happening had grown dimmer and dimmer with each passing day. With Drew, the creed was greed, and ever since they'd come into control of their inheritance, she'd become less and less like the sister Dani had once known and more like Paris Hilton with an edge.

Actually, if Dani was honest with herself, this transformation of Drew had happened even earlier than that. Her sister's behaviour had taken a turn probably a year and half to two years ago. Just around the time that-

"And since when are you interested in what goes down anyway? As long as your Med school tuition is covered and we keep you in fresh running shoes, I thought you were content to stay away."

Dani instantly regretted ever having asked the question. She should have realized that things weren't going to change and that she and her sister were continuously growing further and further apart. She'd tried in the past to reach out to Drew, to make an effort to meet her halfway, but it seemed her sister had very little interest in reciprocating.

Despite being twins, they had never been particularly close. Drew had always needed to be the centre of attention, and constantly craved what Dani could only assume was the security of numbers, constantly surrounding herself with boyfriends and sycophantic friends. Dani on the other hand had sought out friends who could see her for more than a pretty face with a large wallet. And while she'd focused on her studies and sports in school, Drew had concentrated on honing her partying skills and ability to blow as much money randomly as possible. If their grandparents hadn't reined her in regularly, Dani was sure she would have cut through her yearly allowance in just a few short months.

And then they'd turned 21 and were entitled to more access to their inheritance: the ongoing revenues and assets of their late father's highly successful engineering firm. While Dani was sure that Drew would blow through her share quickly, her twin had surprised her by becoming strangely business-oriented, taking a particularly keen interest in the accounting side of things. While she was more of a partier and an attention-seeker than ever, she'd become harder and almost mercenary, especially when it came to money.

Dani had thought the two of them couldn't have been more different while they were growing up, but clearly she was wrong. Dani hardly recognized this woman as her sister anymore. And so she stayed away.

She'd gone away to university. And then she's gone even further away to Med school. She was halfway through the program and had a life in Boston, which included a lot of really wonderful friends... and even a boyfriend who seemed poised to ask her to marry him. She never discussed any of this with her sister however. Whenever she returned to New Mexico, it was always the same gameplan: Get in, get whatever needs doing done and then get out again. She just wanted to avoid any figurative bloodshed and get back to her real life.

"Dani, are you sleeping with your eyes open? I asked you a question."

"Sorry, what?"

"I said, how long are you staying this time?"

"Um, not long. Just long enough to sign whatever needs signing this time and then I'm heading back to Boston."

"Yearning for Harvard, are we? Or maybe just Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome?"

Dani looked at her sister with surprise and was rewarded with Drew's usual superior sneer. "What, like I didn't know about him? Come on, Dani. Give me some credit."

"How did you-"

"How do you think?" Drew gave her an impatient sigh. "Just because you're in denial about what we can do doesn't mean I am."

Dani looked out the car window at the storefronts they drove past. "I don't ignore it. I just don't see any reason to discuss it."

Drew took a moment to lower the opaque, soundproof glass between them and the driver and then she turned to Dani. "Does your boyfriend know about your little gift then? I'm going to take a guess and say _no_."

"There's no need for him to know. It's not like it has anything to do with-"

"Oh come on, Dani. Admit it: You're just worried Mr. Right would think you were some kind of freak. Or worse- a nutjob."

"Whatever, Drew. Whatever. You're right of course. You always are, aren't you? So let's just drop this now, alright?"

"Dani..."

Dani looked up, surprised by her sister's tone... and then even more surprised by the almost compassionate look on Drew's face. Could this be the moment when they finally start to chip away at the wall of ice that had grown between them?

"Dani, I know we... I know we don't see eye-to-eye on things anymore. Not that we ever did." Drew exhaled slowly, as if gathering her thoughts. "And I know when it got worse between us. It started when we started... being able to see things."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think you're right. It's like it put a gap between us."

"I know it did. And I know you were scared about what was happening to us. I think you still are, aren't you?"

Dani said nothing, waiting for her sister to continue.

"Well, all I'm saying is... you don't have to keep running away from it. From us... from _me_. I think... I think I can teach you things, Dani. If you let me, that is. I don't think you have any idea what you're capable of. What _we're _capable of... _together_.

Confused, Dani turned in her seat to look straight at her sister. "What are you talking about?"

"I can do much more than read the occasional mood swing from people, or catch the odd vision of things to come. I can do a lot more Dani, and so could you. With the proper training."

Drew's eyes were starting to take on a zealous glow and it made Dani more than a little nervous. "Drew, what are you talking about?"

"All I'm saying is, when someone wise once said 'you make your own destiny', I'm beginning to see what he meant by it."

"I'm not sure I want to hear anymore of this-"

"Goddamn it, Dani! When are you going to grow up and learn that we have the power to get what we want? I can take mom and dad's inheritance and make us gazillionaires if I wanted to, and so could you. I need you to snap out of this good-girl mentality and listen to me for a change! You want to make a difference in this world, future Dr. Archer? Well together, we could make a big difference. We could take charge of things."

The car stopped and they heard the driver get out of the front seat. Dani didn't wait for him to open her door and climbed quickly from the car. She looked back in at her sister. "You've finally lost it, Drew. Completely outer limits. I'm going inside this building, I'm signing the acquisition papers and then I'm flying back home. You can rule the world all by yourself, OK? I don't want any part of whatever insane scheme you think it is you've thought up."

As her sister moved quickly into the building, Drew frowned as the driver took her arm and helped her from the car. She was disappointed, but only mildly so.

"That's really too bad, Dani. But it's your loss."


	2. Chapter 2

"And as a precaution, ladies, we're recommending that a security person accompanies you at all-"

"Look, I'm leaving today. If this is a local threat, and I think it is, then I suggest you focus your bodyguarding efforts on Drew." Dani stared calmly at the chairman and the other board members, clearly unfazed by this news. It wasn't the first time they'd heard of kidnapping plots and it probably wouldn't be the last. Such was the territory that came with being a multi-millionaire in the city.

"Actually, I'm sure I'll be fine without it as well. It's not like there isn't a house full of staff around me all the time anyway. And I rarely go out alone at night." Drew flashed a smile laden with innuendo at the room filled mostly with men in their late 50's and 60's, secretly hoping one of them might at least have a heart attack and liven up an otherwise boring meeting.

The chairman, who was used to dealing with Drew by now seemed to disregard her statement entirely. "Yes, well… The thing is, the threat sounded a little more serious this time, so we've already hired someone to watch over you. _Several _someones in fact, although it would seem that one of the gentlemen will only have the pleasure of seeing you to the airport, Danielle. Your driver will see you both home safely and then the security men will take over. They are already assessing your home at my request."

Dani nodded and began to stand up, looking over at her sister. She was surprised to note that while Drew was clearly seething at having her life suddenly controlled by the Board, she made no attempt to argue with their decision. Maybe her sister was finally starting to wise up and realize that she wasn't as untouchable as she seemed to think she was. The chairman touched Dani's arm as she moved past him.

"I will be notifying the Boston authorities of the threat as well, and I will be expecting you to notify them as soon as you reach your home, alright?"

Drew nodded again and watched as her sister approached.

"Are you ready to go? We may as well get back so you can grab your stuff and just continue along to the airport." Dani's brows went up in mild surprise. It seemed her sister wanted her out of town as much as she wanted to leave.

_Fine by me._

* * *

Dean drove while Sam slept in the passenger seat. He kept the music low, not wanting to wake him. Truth be told, he was tired and feeling more than a little unsettled and he didn't really feel like talking.

The job in Kansas had had a surprising effect on him. Well, not the job exactly; it was the place- Kansas. It might not have been much of a permanent home for him growing up, but it was the closest thing to home he'd ever known. Even after their mother had been killed, it had still been the place they came from; who they were. There were still some ties that holding tight. But this time it had felt different.

Now that his father was gone, Kansas felt like a foreign land for some reason. It was like all those fragile ties had finally been cut. The idea that he was a man without roots had taken a hold of him almost as soon as they'd crossed the border and it had made him feel like he was fading somehow; like he was more akin to the ghost they were hunting than the people they passed on the street. He hadn't been able to leave the state fast enough.

Sam stirred slightly in his sleep and Dean watched him out of the corner of his eye, feeling immediately guilty.

_You have all the roots you need right here, man. Kansas is just a state. Sammy is your flesh and blood._

The discomfort started to pass again, just like it always did. More and more often of late he'd felt like he was barely keeping it together, and it had only gotten worse after his father had died. But then he remembered that he had a job to do: kill the demon that had set the whole damned thing in motion to begin with… and that was apparently going to be the thorn in their sides until they finally ended the thing. But more important to Dean even than killing the thing was looking after his little brother. He'd die before he let any harm befall Sam.

Whenever Dean felt himself flying apart again, he focused on these two jobs he had before him, and suddenly he'd feel better again, like he had a purpose. It might not be the healthiest motivation to help someone get through the day but it worked. And it was enough… for now.

Sam moved again and Dean looked at him more closely. Maybe he was having another dream/vision. He was definitely more restless in his sleep when the visions came.

As if sensing Dean's observations, Sam opened his eyes slowly and stretched his arms over his head. He looked momentarily confused before he yawned mightily and looked over at his brother.

"Where are we?"

"We just passed out of Oklahoma and we're about to hit the big town of Shamrock, Texas."

"Hmmm."

Dean continued to look at his brother via quick side glances while he drove. A knowing smile twitched on his lips. "We're not gonna keep heading to El Paso now, are we?"

Sam smiled in amazement at his older brother. "Jesus. Now who's the psychic in the family?"

Dean grinned. "What can I say; I can read you like a book."

"Yeah, and I'm thinking the book was called 'Tossing in my sleep again by Sam Winchester'."

Dean shrugged. "It's an easy read." He slowed the car and pulled over to the shoulder, easing to a stop. "So where we goin' now?"

* * *

Dani followed her sister out of the elevator, the chairman close behind them. "Well, the driver is poised and ready out front. I know you don't take these threats seriously, but for all our sakes I wish you would. There's no harm in being careful, is there?"

Dani almost didn't hear him another vision of the young, dark-haired man filled her mind's eye. She got a better look at him this time, but not much. And she still didn't recognize him.

"Dani?" David looked at her with concern.

"Sorry David, I'm just a little distracted today. And yes, of course- better safe than sorry. I promise I'll call you as soon as I get home." Dani patted the older man's arm kindly. She'd known David Roundtree most of her life and he'd never been anything but kind and considerate to her. She was about to wish him farewell when Drew interrupted.

"Oh, David- I just thought of something I forgot to mention earlier. Can I just borrow you for about 15 more minutes?" She was already moving him back towards the elevator and away from Dani.

The older man checked his watch and then glanced over his shoulder towards the front of the building where he knew a security man stood stationed at the front desk. Confident that between him and the driver out front Dani would be safe, he nodded and walked back towards the elevator. Drew called back across the foyer to her sister as the elevator doors opened.

"Why don't you just take the car ahead. I'm sure you're anxious to get back to Boston. I'll call ahead to the house and have one of the bodyguards come back and fetch me."

Dani shrugged and murmured OK, but she couldn't help but smirk slightly when Drew called out "Love you, sis. Talk to you soon," just as the elevator doors closed between them. That had obviously been for David's benefit not hers.

She started to move towards the front when suddenly her cell phone began to ring. She checked the call display: Jack Martineau. She sighed softly to herself and considered not answering it, but realized her boyfriend was probably wondering why she hadn't called him last night. She flipped open the phone and tried to force a smile in her voice.

"Jack?"

The only response was a muffled whine of static.

"Jack? _Hello_? Can you hear me?" When he still didn't answer, she checked the phone's reception bars for signal strength but everything seemed fine. Maybe the problem was on Jack's end. Still, she moved to a side door immediately to her left and pushed it open, hoping the open air might enhance the reception.

"Jack? Jack, I think you might need to move around a bit and find better-"

The quiet hissing of static changed to silence and darkness in an instant as Dani crumbled to the ground.

* * *

"That's her, Dean. That's the woman from my visions."

The two men stared through the large glass windows of a large, impressive looking office building. An attractive dark-haired woman was talking to an older man as they moved into an elevator.

"Man, if she looks that good through tinted glass-"

Sam cut short his brother's usual lecherous ramblings. "Stay here and watch which floor they get off on while I run inside and see if I can get up there, alright?"

Dean pulled out his cell phone. "Check. I'll call you with the floor number."

Sam laughed as he ran towards the front doors, calling over his shoulder, "Or you could always just hold your fingers up in front of the windows."

Dean muttered to himself. "Whatever you say, Mr. Old School." He almost chuckled to himself when the elevatorstopped on the second floor. He was sure Sam could figure that one out for himself.

Still, he grinned when Sam reached the window in front of him. He held up the descriptive middle finger on each of his hands to indicate the second floor and laughed out loud when Sam glared at him. "Yeah, how's that for low-tech, Sammy?"

Amused with himself, he wandered around to the front of the building and peered inside at the front desk, reading the large sculptured name on the wall behind: The Archer Building. There was no security guard stationed there, which probably explained why Sam had gotten back to the elevators so quickly. Dean considered going inside to wait for his brother and whatever it was he hoped to find out from the hottie upstairs, but then he thought better of it. He'd just spent the better part of the last 12 hours cooped up in the car and it felt good to stretch his legs a bit. He started moving towards the other side of the building.

Dean pulled a stick of gum out of his jacket pocket and then stopped, listening carefully. His hunter skills clicked on automatically when he could have sworn he'd heard a strange noise down the alley. He looked back to the front of the building as if looking for reinforcements and then shrugged to himself. It was probably nothing.

He was about to move back to the front doors when he heard another sound. This time it had clearly been a scuffing sound, like something being dragged… He reached into his pocket for his small pocket knife, wishing he'd thought to stick his gun in the back of his waistband before they'd left the car.

_It's probably just some guy putting out a bag of garbage._

He moved further down the side of the building, wary. He hadn't heard any other noises, but still; in his line of work that almost _always_ meant someone was still there... or some_thing_.As he approached a stairwell leading downstairs he crouched a little lower, hoping he wouldn't be seen if something _was _down there…

And then he felt his whole body tense up uncontrollably before the darkness overcame him.


	3. Chapter 3

**_A.N.: _**OK, I'm not a doctor, and I don't play one on TV. So, if from here on out some of my medical stuff sounds a little suss, I hope you can let it go!

* * *

_Ow. _Dean tried to adjust himself so that whatever was causing the pain in his leg would stop and he could go back to sleep.

When he found he couldn't move and that the pain was gradually intensifying, he opened his eyes a crack and squinted in the darkness. There was actually something draped over his legs. He reached for the bedside light… and grazed his knuckles over some sort of rock wall.

His head felt fuzzy and he tried to sit up, but a sudden sharp pain in his shin and the weight of whatever was on his legs forced him back down on his back. Confused, he reached slowly down towards the mysterious mass across his lower half, fully expecting something to take a bite out of his hand. When his fingers touched a slender arm and followed their way up to a shoulder, he felt a surge of confusion. A subtle hint of perfume wafted up to his nostrils. A woman? At least he hoped it was just a woman and not something more sinister, but with his luck...

Not thinking he had a whole lot of options, he decided he'd better try to rouse the woman. He took a deep breath and tried to clear the fuzziness from his brain. He wanted to be ready for whatever happened after this person woke up. He wanted to assume she was in the same boat as him and had been forcibly brought here, but he couldn't afford to take any chances.

"Hello? Hey there… Are you awake? _Hello_?" He prodded her shoulder gently.

He heard a small groan and the woman shifted slightly. Dean winced as the pain in his shin intensified and he found his fingers suddenly tangled in what felt like long, soft hair. Trying to focus on carefully extricating them while his shin throbbed intensely was a lesson in concentration, but he was damned if he was going to have this woman spring awake to find him tangled in her hair and stomp all over him in a panic. Especially when it seemed like there might be something nasty going on with his leg.

"Miss? Can you hear me?"

The woman moaned a little louder now and seemed to be coming out of it. He could feel her hand move on his thigh as she tried to get her bearings. And then as Dean had anticipated, the panic set in.

She scrambled quickly off him, causing a fresh burst of firey agony to shoot through his leg. He groaned loudly in pain, muttering, "Oh yeah, there it is. Ahhh... Jesus. Thanks for that."

Dani's heart was beating so loudly that she didn't hear what he was mumbling. Her neck and her shoulders were aching, but the fear pushed the pain to the background. She couldn't see a thing in the complete darkness and she felt sand on the ground underneath her.

_Just where the hell am I?_

Ragged breathing issued from across the darkness.

_And who the hell is that?!!!_

So scared she could scarcely breathe, she tried to wet her bone dry lips and speak. "Whhh…. Who… Who are you?"

It was scarcely a whisper, but Dean could recognize the terror behind it. He understood that most people didn't see the side of life that he was accustomed to seeing on a regular basis and he tried to even out his voice so he wouldn't frighten her even more.

"My name is Dean. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Whatever's happened here, it's happened to both of us, OK?"

"Wh… Where…Where are we?"

"I wish I knew. I only woke up about a minute before you did, unfortunately."

Dani worked at swallowing down her fear and tried to remain rational. Could she even trust that this man was being honest with her? She couldn't even see him; he could be doing anything over there. What if he had a weapon of some kind?

Short of asking him if he was a serial killer, she knew she had only one choice right now as much as she hated it. She took a calming breath and did something she tried never to do: she reached out with her senses to see if she should tell if he was being truthful with her.

When the strange feelings, dreams, and visions had started up almost 2 years before, she'd tried to ignore them. When Drew had questioned her about it, having experienced the same things herself, Dani had denied it completely and had even acted like her sister must be losing her mind. But Drew finally realized the truth and had hounded her about their new "abilities" ever since, making her even more uncomfortable about the whole thing. She never found it pleasant to suddenly know exactly what another person was feeling, whether they wanted her to or not. It made her feel uncomfortable, invading someone's privacy like that.

Now, however, was not the time to worry about the morality of it all; her life might depend upon it. Despite the pitch black, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the presence across from her, trying to feel any malevolence that might be emanating from him. As the sensations flowed around her though, her shoulders relaxed from their hunched position. She sensed nothing but confusion and discomfort... and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. He seemed... what? Familiar? Try as she might, she couldn't figure out what it was. And then she was distracted by something else she felt from the strange man: pain.

Dean was just about to break the uncomfortable silence that had suddenly cropped up, but she beat him to the punch with an unexpected question. "Are you... are you alright?"

Obviously she'd heard him grunting with pain earlier, but still her question surprised him. In light of their position right now, he was amazed that it had ocurred to her to wonder if he was OK. Most people focused on themselves in situations like this, understandably.

"Uh, I'm not really sure, actually. I have a bad feeling I might have a broken leg, but since I can't see it... All I know is it hurts like a bastard."

"I... I could take a look at it if you like... so to speak." She frowned into the darkness. "I mean, I could try to feel the bone and ascertain whether there's a break, but I don't know if-"

"You a doctor?"

"Not quite, but I have a couple years of Med school behind me. If that makes you uncomfortable, though-"

"No, not at all. Honestly, I'll take what I can get." He grimaced. "I mean... I didn't mean that to sound like... Uh-"

"It's OK. I know what you meant. Just keep talking so I can get back over to you."

"You got it. And I appreciate you doing this. I mean-" He cut off briefly as he felt her moving to his side, "... you don't know me from Adam."

She smiled in the dark. "Yeah, well... You don't know me either." She put her hands in front of her in the dark. "I have my hands out- can you reach up and guide me down to the injury?"

Dean's hands went up and immediately found hers. They were softer than he imagined a doctor's hands would be, but then again he hadn't had a lot of fun in hospitals over the years so he acknowledged that he might be a little biased. He guided her downward and she gently probed the leg, feeling her mind returning to sanity as she started her internal processing.

Even though she'd frequently questioned her decision to become a doctor over the years, when her "doctor mode" kicked in it was easy for her to tune out her surroundings, including the horrendous situation she found herself in, at least temporarily. And then a sharp intake of breath beside her reminded her that there was another person at the end of her probings in the dark.

"Sorry, uh..." She frowned as her brain grasped for his name but came up empty. "I'm sorry- you told me your name but I was a little freaked out. I don't remember it."

"Dean. Dean... Winchester." His instinct to use an alias was as strong as always, but for some reason he decided to go with his real name this time, although he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the fact that he was basically at this woman's mercy right now; if there was ever a time to trust someone, now was the time.

When she didn't reciprocate and simply continued feeling around on his shin, he cleared his throat. "So, should I just call you 'Doc' then?"

She grinned. "Sorry. My name's Danielle. Danielle Archer."

_Archer... Why does that sound familiar to me? _Dean tried in vain to recall where he'd heard that name before, but was soon distracted by another sudden, sharp pain in his shin. As he let out a hissing noise, Dani stopped her movements.

"I'm sorry, Dean. Man, this would be so much easier if I could see what the hell I was doing."

He let out a slow breath as the pain receded somewhat again. "It's OK. I've been through worse."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. This is nothin'." He had been resting back on his elbows for most of the examination but now he attempted to sit up straight. The skin stretching across his shin to accommodate the movement stung a little bit, but he pulled himself up anyway. He slowly slid back towards the rock wall behind him until he was leaning against it. Dani had anticipated his movements and had tried to keep his leg as stable as possible for him while he moved. He was again surprised and impressed by her unsolicitated assistance, but he figured it was probably just her doctor's nature coming through.

Dani sat back on her knees for a moment. "Are you OK? Any dizziness?" She prodded carefully to see if the movement had caused any more bleeding

"No, I think I'm alright, thanks. So... What do you think? Is it broken?"

She moved her hand back, resting it beside the affected area. "Well, the good news is I don't think so."

"Cool. What's the bad news?"

She grimaced. "You've got something lodged in there, like a large splinter of something. I'm not sure what it is, but I think it might be a piece of metal or plastic or something. It's not that thick, but it does feel like it's gone all the way to the bone."

He exhaled loudly, nonplussed. "Great. Do you think you can take it out?"

"If we were in a brightly-lit exam room with nice, sterile instruments to use, no problem. In the dark with nothing but my hands, I'm a little nervous to be honest."

_Yeah, me too._ Dean had performed many self-fix-it jobs on himself over the years, but even then he'd at least had running water and bandaids at his disposal. "I don't suppose you keep a small bottle of Vicodin in your back pocket for emergencies, do you?"

She laughed softly, but he noted the underlying tension peeking through. This was not a good situation.

"Dean, I... If you think you'll be OK by yourself for a while, I think I should try to feel around and see if I can't find a way out of here. In the meantime..." He heard her moving around for a moment and then he felt her hands gently feeling their way up his leg. She slid a piece of material under his leg and then tied it off tightly. "You're not bleeding much right now, but I'm worried that if you move your leg again the wound might open up more. Let's not take any chances."

Dean realized he hadn't even checked to see if she was injured at all and felt a little sheepish. "Danielle, are you hurt at all? Are you sure that you're up to crawling around in the dark?" Not to mention who knew what else might be stuck in here with them; he decided not to voice that concern, however. They had enough to worry about right now.

She frowned. "I'm fine, I think. Although the side of my neck's a little sore..."

As she reached a hand up and felt the sensitive area, Dean's hand flew automatically to his own neck and he immediately started to worry about vampires. Fortunately his mind was set at ease after she revealed, "It feels like a burn or something."

Dean felt his own neck and found something similar. He was fairly certain he knew what it was, too.

"Hmm. I think someone probably used a taser on us." At least that probably meant they weren't dealing with something supernatural here. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure if that made him feel any better in the long run; human beings were far less predictable than the things he usually dealt with.

Dani rubbed at the sore spot on her neck thoughtfully. "A taser? But...?" She just couldn't get her mind around it all. And then the pieces slowly began to fit together in her mind. "Oh my god."

"What? What's wrong?"

She sat back on her knees again. "Dean, can you imagine any reason why someone would want to do this to you?"

"Stick me in a dark hole, you mean?" He snorted softly with bemusement. "I'm sure I've pissed a few people off over the years, but I think the most I should be expecting is maybe a beer poured over my head or a few choice words. Why?"

"Are you from Albuquerque?"

"No, my brother and I were just here... on business." _Shit. Sam. I forgot all about you there for a minute. _"In fact, my brother's probably looking for me right now."

Dani wondered if her sister would have noticed she was missing. Since she was supposed to be on a plane home after the meeting, it was highly doubtful anyone would notice her absence until she failed to check in with the Boston police.

_And if she knew I was missing, I wonder which emotion Drew would be more likely to feel: concern or relief?_

Knowing there was never any point to wallowing in personal dramas, she drew in a deep breath. "Dean, I... I think it's my fault you're here. What's the last thing you remember before waking up here? Where were you?"

"My brother and I were at this building downtown. He went inside to see someone and I was hangin' around outside."

"What building?"

He flashed back to the name on the wall in the lobby and then he realized where he recognized her name from. "The Archer Building. As in Danielle Archer?"

"'Fraid so. That's the last place I remember being as well." She rolled off her knees and sat heavily on her behind on the ground. "Oh, Dean... I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I'm betting you were just-"

"In the wrong place at the wrong time?" He laughed lightly. "Story of my life." He bent his good knee up towards the ceiling slowly. "I guess that weird noise I heard down the alley was something after all. I must have interupted your kidnapping, although I didn't actually see anyone. Guess they came up behind me."

"And I'd just come from a meeting where my sister and I were informed of a new kidnapping threat. I should have taken it more seriously, but... I mean, I was still in the building for chrissakes!" She moved back closer to where she knew Dean was sitting. "I'm just so sorry. You shouldn't be here. This is all my fault."

"Hey." He reached out and felt for her hand. "_Neither_ of us should be here. This is not your fault." He gave her hand a small reassuring squeeze but she still felt like she was to blame for his misfortunes. And then she saw another quick image of the dark haired man from before. She gave her head a slight shake and then slid her fingers from his grasp and stood up.

"I'm going to go look around. There's got to be a way out of here."

Dean though she sounded suddenly distracted. "Are you sure you want to-"

"Yes. I'm not afraid of the dark, don't worry."

"OK, fine but... I don't think you should stray too far. I mean, we have no idea how big this place is and you might end up lost."

"I'll be fine. I'll... we can keep calling out so we don't lose track of each other." She started to feel her way down the wall beside him, thinking out loud. "It definitely feels like rock. We must be in a cave somewhere."

Her heart started to pound a little faster. There were hundreds of caves in the desert around Albuquerque. If someone was looking for them, how would they ever know where to start looking? She fought back the surge of panic and focused on moving along the wall beneath her hands. There had to be a gap somewhere, there just had to be...

As she drew further and further away from Dean, calling out occasionally so she didn't get lost, goosebumps started to form on her flesh. Night must be falling, or maybe it had already fallen. The desert temperatures often dropped steeply in the evenings, and if she was right about where they were...

It probably wasn't helping that she'd tied her long-sleeved shirt around Dean's leg to slow the circulation to his wound. Her light cotton tank top wasn't exactly made to protect her from the cold. She stopped and rubbed her arms to try to warm them up although she knew it was pretty much pointless.

She was starting to think that maybe she should head back to Dean, and try again later; maybe some light would appear once it was daylight outside and she'd have an easier time finding an exit, but she was troubled by the thought that she could be standing right next to their way out of there and not even kow it. She had to keep trying to find that gap in the rock that would set them free.

As she felt the rock again, her mind drifted back to the image of the young man that kept coming back to her. She was even more certain than ever that she'd never met him before. She was sure she was going to though- whatever she saw in her visions inevitably came true, as much as it scared her to admit it.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice Dean calling to her from the distance.

And then she was tumbling head over heels into the darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A.N:** _Thanks to those of you who've taken the time to review so far. I really appreciate it.

* * *

"Danielle! Come on, talk to me!"

Still no answer.

Worried, Dean started to consider the possibility of hobbling after her, despite the excruciating pain it would no doubt involve. He started lifting himself up, but he stopped when he thought he heard some faint coughing. "Danielle?"

"I'm OK. I just fell and knocked the air out of my lungs. I'm fine."

Dean sighed with relief at his end of the cave. "You sure you're OK? Can you make it back here alright?"

Dani felt around her knees and located what she'd tripped over. "Yeah, I'm alright. And I'm coming back right away." She stood up and then reached back down towards the mystery object. "I've found something, Dean. I'm bringing it back; hold on."

Dean could hear her shuffling back in his direction, so he continued speaking to help guide her. "You found something? What is it?"

"It's a bag... maybe a duffle bag?" It was fairly heavy and awkward, but she was managing to lift it nonetheless.

"Did you try to open it?"

She was embarrassed to admit she hadn't wanted to open it by herself. Who knew what was inside? "Uh, no. Not yet."

"That's probably for the best. Wait until you bring it back here and I'll do it, in case there's something dangerous inside." _God, I hope there aren't any rats in there. I hate the little bastards. _

Normally, she would have found his comments patronizing, but Dani had been trying to ignore similar scenarios involving snakes, bugs, dead bodies... or all of the above. Still, she couldn't give up her independence altogether. "Yeah, alright. We can check it out _together_."

If Dean caught her tone he didn't mention it, and continued to talk her back to his location. He was immensely relieved when she finally put the bag beside him. "You sure you're alright?"

She smirked. "Never better. Bag's right beside you, boss."

He did laugh at that one, and then patted his hands out until they connected with material. "Got it. Let's see what we've got here."

She knelt on the opposite side of the bag, listening to Dean feel around the top of it. "Can you reach it OK?"

"Yeah, no problem." He felt around some more. "OK, here we go. I found the zipper."

Dani was practically holding her breath as Dean pulled the zipper open. She was almost ready to reach into the opening herself when he spoke up. "Better let me have a quick feel around first. There might be something sharp in there and if one of us has to get hurt, I'd prefer it not be the doctor."

She couldn't help but grin at his logic. "OK, hero. But be careful."

He laughed before reaching back for the opening. "Well, here goes nothing..."

Waiting for Dean to reveal his discoveries felt like some sort of twisted Christmas morning and it took all of Dani's restraint not to start digging around in there with him. Where had this bag come from? Was it dumped by the same people who'd brought them here?

"Hmm. Well, I think this is a blanket." He pulled out a bundle and set it beside the bag. He rummaged a little more. "I guess it would be too much to ask for there to be a flashlight in here..." His fingers hit on a hard object. "There's some sort of metal box in here, too." He pulled it out and felt for a lock or a clasp. He found the two latches and pulled it open, but he couldn't figure out what was inside. "There are a bunch of things wrapped in plastic inside, but I have no idea what it all is."

"Here, let me." Dani reached out and followed Dean's hands to the box. While she felt the items inside, Dean continued his perusal of the bag.

"There are a bunch more things wrapped in plastic in the bottom. Maybe it's food?" He squeezed some large plastic bottles he'd found and was rewarded by a sloshing sound. "Bingo. I think we got water." He had just wrapped his hands around a strange group of thin tubes tied together with some string when he heard Dani give a small gasp.

"Dean... I think you really need to find that flashlight because I'm pretty sure this is a First Aid kit."

"Yeah?"

He felt some renewed hope. If they could get him back on his feet and mobile, he knew they stood a better chance of getting out of there. He pulled the bound items out of the bag, trying to figure out what they were. "Well, no flashlight so far..." He scraped one of the tubes with his fingernail and ran the residue through his fingertips. "Hold on a sec- I think I may have something here." He rummaged around in the bag for a second and then cursed. "Dammit. I think these are candles, but I can't find any- Oh, here we go." She could almost hear the smile in his voice. "Cover your eyes, darlin'. It's about to get a lot brighter in here."

She listened to him scratch the matches off the cover and she was suddenly certain that the face she would soon be looking into would be the man from her visions, and that she would finally find the key to this whole confusing mess. She squinted her eyes in preparation...

And was disappointed to find out that she was wrong. The man suddenly facing her was not the man in her vision.

He was just as handsome as the other man, but his hair and his eyes were definitely different- this man's hair seemed lighter and shorter, and his eyes were either blue or green; not the dark brown she'd been expecting. And right now those eyes were staring at her with as much confusion as she probably had reflecting in her own. There was something else in his expression as well, but she couldn't put her finger on it. All she knew right now was that she was no closer to understanding what was happening than before.

As he held the match to the candle wick, he gave her a small, vaguely bemused smile and she felt her heart rate speed up a little. She smiled back and tried to cover up what could only be classified as a schoolgirl's response to an extremely attractive man.

"Hi, Dean."

"Hi, Danielle. It's nice to see you."

She laughed and Dean was riveted by the sparkle of the candlelight in her big brown eyes. _Damn, she's even hotter than I thought. But still..._

This was definitely the woman he and Sam had seen inside the Archer Building, but there was something different about her. His hunter's instincts had taken an instant snapshot of her appearance once his eyes had adjusted to the light. She wasn't dressed the same as she was when he'd seen her earlier, for one thing. Overall, she looked less... _polished_. But that was in her favour, he decided. She was an honest-to-goodness natural beauty and she didn't need all that make-up and crap to make her look good.

And she made him nervous.

First off, she was the woman in Sam's visions and that never boded well. Maybe Sam had been forseeing this kidnapping happening to her, but if so then why hadn't he seen more than a glimpse of her? The visions he'd had of her had been different than any others Sam had ever had before, as far as he knew. And now they were trapped God-knew-where and he had no idea what it all meant. In fact, all he really had were questions: If Sam's visions always had something to do with the demon, how was Danielle tied to that?

Secondly, although Dean knew it was totally irrelevent to their situation, her initial response to seeing him had left him unsettled. He'd never had any trouble with the ladies, and with a few exceptions they'd never had any trouble with him either. So why had Danielle looked a bit disappointed when she'd first gotten a look at him? He knew it was stupid; that he shouldn't let it bother him. But it did.

"We should probably do a little inventory here." Danielle's words pulled him from his musings and he nodded.

"Right. Let's see what we've got here..."

* * *

"Well, I think you're right. I don't think they were planning on dumping two captives in here." Dean took a small swig of the bottled water and handed it to Dani. "One blanket... rations that would probably last one person a week... It all seems to indicate they had one target in mind."

Dani shook her head guiltily. "Dean, I'm just so sorry."

He hadn't intended to make her feel guilty again and he felt like kicking himself. He casually reached into the bag. "Hey, I'm just glad it looks like they wanted to keep us alive, or else why leave a bag of supplies? I mean the blanket alone seems to point to the kidnappers not having any darker intentions. It shows a level of consideration."

She still looked stressed so he took a different tack. "Don't worry, Danielle. We'll make do. I mean, they left us _two _rolls of toilet paper."

Dani burst out laughing and Dean felt relieved again. At least she had a sense of humor. She continued to smile, shaking her head at him with wonder. "If nothing else Dean, I'm sure you're going to keep me entertained."

He laughed and made a slight bowing motion. "I aim to please."

She nodded, still smiling, and then looked at the small box sitting beside him. "And I'm thinking that, unless I want to be stuck carrying you somewhere to... uh... do your _business _as it were, I better get that shard out of your leg."

Dean's eyes went slightly wider. "Yeah? Are you sure?" He started pawing through the duffle bag again. "Maybe we missed a bedpan in here..."

Dani laughed softly. "I think it'll be alright, Dean. But you're going to have to trust me."

His eyes went to hers and he could read the tension there. And for whatever reason, he found he did trust her; completely. "I trust you. Let's do it."

She smiled gently and tore the plastic off some gauze from the First Aid kit. As he watched her hands moving he noticed something. "Hey, hold up." He reached out for her hand and turned it over. "That's a nasty gash. I think we should fix that up first."

"It's not too bad. It can wait until-"

"Nope. Hand me a bandage and some antiseptic." He looked at her meaningfully. "Please."

She laughed softly, shaking her head. "Yes, Doctor. Right away."

She couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from his ministrations, amazed at how careful his touch was. It wasn't that bad a cut, but still he cleaned it out gently before gently placing the bandaid on.

"That should do it. Come back and see me in a few days if it causes you any trouble." His face was serious but was offset by a twinkle of humor in his eyes and she laughed again. She thanked him before returning to the more serious task at hand: removing the shard from his shin.

She removed a small pair of scissors and looked at him apologetically. "I hope these aren't your favourite jeans..." She began cutting upward from the bottom cuff until she had opened them to his knee.

Dean smiled kindly back. "Nah." He pointed at the blood stained material beside him that had been wrapped around his leg. "I just hope this wasn't your favourite shirt."

"Nah."

She moved the folded blanket under his leg to keep it somewhat elevated, and then he stopped her with a hand on her arm. She looked at him in question and he pulled the blanket back out. "There's something hard in there- I think there's something wrapped in the blanket." He gave a tug at the fold and something metal came tumbling out.

Dani exclaimed happily, "Oh... A _flashlight! _This is way better than operating by candlelight, Dean." She flashed a bright smile at him. "Much better. Do you think you'll be able to keep the light shining on your leg for me? This could get more than a little painful for you..."

Caught up in her sudden enthusiasm, he saluted her. "I'll handle it, don't worry."

She propped the blanket back under his leg and grabbed the antiseptic. "Alright then. Let's do this."

* * *

Dean had finally dozed off and Dani tucked the blanket tighter around him. She'd removed his boots while he slept and placed them to the side, hoping to keep the circulation moving properly through his legs. She'd also removed a couple items from the duffle bag and propped it under his head as a makeshift pillow.

She had to give it to the guy- he'd been a real trooper when she'd pulled that nasty piece of plastic from his leg. He'd grunted a little and uttered a few colourful expletives, but other than that he'd barely complained. That was more than she could say for a lot of people who'd actually had some anesthetic in them.

She wiped a few remaining drops of sweat from his brow and snuggled a little further into his jacket. When she had insisted on giving him the blanket and telling him he needed to sleep, he'd pulled off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders, his steady gaze daring her to argue with him. Little had he known that she was so chilled at that point she probably would have crawled under the blanket with him otherwise. And little did she know, he probably would have let her.

She was warm now, though. She leaned back against the rock wall and watched him sleeping, taking a closer look at her accidental roommate. If you looked hard enough, you could see a few scars on his face, but none that distracted from his overall attractiveness. And he was attractive, of that there was no doubt.

She'd never been one to be swayed by a pretty face but she had to admit she'd felt a bit flushed a couple times when he'd smiled at her. She hoped the dim light had masked it, however. She had no idea how long they'd be trapped in here and she didn't want there to be any awkwardness, especially since he seemed like a pretty decent guy so far.

But despite his jokes and somewhat laissez-faire attitude, she could sense an underlying edge. Whether it was something she had picked up through her "gift" or whether it was something she noticed in his eyes sometimes, she couldn't say. Either way, it was there.

She put out the candle to conserve their light sources and wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her forehead against them.

_What now?_


	5. Chapter 5

Dean stretched his arms over his head and was momentarily disoriented when his hands hit rock. Then it came back to him.

He moved his legs slightly, waiting for the shot of pain that would probably result. He was surprised to find that the pain was minimal. Full-fledged doctor or not, Danielle had obviously done a good job. Speaking of whom...

"Dani?" His voice was a bit hoarse and he cleared his throat to try again but she was already responding.

"Hey there. I'm right here." She sounded amused.

"What's so funny? Did you paint stuff on my face while I was sleeping or something?"

She chuckled. "No, nothing like that. It's just... Did you call me _Dani_?"

He smirked. "Yeah, I guess I did."

He reached for the candle and matches he'd placed off to his side before going to sleep and lit them. He sat up slowly and leaned back against the wall. She was leaning against her knees and she looked tired. He wondered if she'd slept at all. "Sorry, does that annoy you or something? Too tomboy sounding or something?"

She shook her head in the negative and smiled wearily. "No, not at all. I am a bit of a tomboy anyway. And most of my friends and family call me Dani." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "In fact, I think the only person who calls me Danielle these days is my boyfriend."

_Ah, the boyfriend rears his ugly head. I was wondering if she had one of those... _Dean flashed a wry smile. "_Dani_ it is then." She laughed, but she still sounded tired to him. "How long was I out? Did you get any sleep?"

She checked her watch. "About an hour and a half, I think. How're you feeling? How's your leg"

He yawned and flexed his toes a bit. "Almost good as new. You didn't answer my question: Did you get any sleep yourself?"

She shrugged. "A little I guess."

"Not enough, I'm thinking. And you don't exactly look comfortable all hunched up like that."

"Ah, I can sleep pretty much anywhere these days. Being in Med School has trained me to catch a few winks whenever and wherever the opportunity arises."

The truth was, she'd spent the entire time trying to figure out their next move. Would her sister have figured out she was missing yet? Surely Jack would have cottoned on that something was wrong when she didn't return his call and hadn't returned to Boston yet? Then she'd realized that he hadn't known she was coming back early...

_Does anyone even know we're here?_

Dani finally released her knees and crawled over near Dean's legs and lifted the blanket over his wounded shin. "Let me just take a look..."

Dean caught sight of his socks and smirked. "Taking my boots off was probably not the best idea. I haven't been out of them for the better part of 24 hours..." Dean smiled with mild embarrassment, rubbing his hand over his hair.

"Don't worry, Dean. I've smelled worse." She gave him a sly grin. "But not much."

He laughed. "Hey, if you'd waited until I was awake, I would have warned you-"

"I'm just kidding. They didn't smell that bad." She pushed the denim out of the way and peeled up the temporary bandage. "Hmm. Looks not too bad actually. You must be a fast healer."

"Ah, like I said, this old body's been through it's share of scrapes. I've probably just adjusted."

"Why is that, Dean?"

"What?"

"Why have you had so many injuries? Are you some sort of athlete or something?"

She eyed his biceps, now clearly visible from his t-shirt since the blanket had slid down around his waist. He looked to be in pretty good shape, and she'd seen a lot of the school's athletes visiting their facilities for various medical treatments and seemingly neverending sessions of physiotherapy.

Overly tired and distracted, Dani didn't realize that her eyes were pretty much fixed on his arms and she jerked her eyes back to his face in embarrassment when he replied.

"An athlete? Uh, no- not exactly. We're... um..." He found that he couldn't think of a good lie for a change. He was drawing a blank. "We're... we're sort of hunters."

Dani squinted as she tried to translate what he was saying. "Who's the _we_?"

"My brother Sam and me."

"Ah, and by hunters you mean... Like game hunters or...?"

"More like... Bounty Hunters." Sure, that worked. Why not?

"Really?" Dani was intrigued. Bounty Hunting wasn't exactly a common profession.

"Yup. We're the real deal."

"So you're in Albuquerque to chase a felon, or a bail jumper, or something like that?"

Dean thought about Sam's vision of the woman who was sitting before him and smiled vaguely. "Yeah, something like that." And speaking of Sam... "My brother's probably hot on _our_ trail right now though, I'm betting. He'll get us out of here, don't worry."

Dani nodded distactedly. "I've been trying to figure out how long we've been in here... I think it's the middle of the night, probably the same day we were taken. I wonder if a ransom has been demanded yet."

He looked at her closely, wondering if it was a good idea to voice his concerns and possibly stress her out. She seemed to be holding it together so far; he figured he might as well let her hear his thoughts on the matter. "I was thinking about this ransom thing. Seems to me most big companies that get hit up would have some sort of policy in place, right? The kidnappers would have to prove you were still alive or they don't release the money?"

Dani nodded again. "Yeah, the Archer firm has a policy like that. We've had some discussions about it recently, ironically."

"Well, if that's the case, then that means we've got a few different scenarios that could be playing out here: _One_, the kidnappers will be returning here at some point in the near future to obtain this "proof" so they can get their money. Or _Two_, they'll go straight to your father, who I'm sure has probably got a nice fortune free and clear of the company, right?"

She smiled softly. "My father passed away when Drew and I were just babies, Dean. My mother too."

"Oh. Sorry."

She shrugged. "It's OK. I don't even remember them."

Dean felt a small tinge of sadness on her behalf. He may have lost both his parents as well, but at least he'd known them. He even had some pleasant memories of his mother, even though she'd died when he was so young. "Alright, well... Then I guess that option is out? What about your sister- could she raise that sort of money?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. The bulk of our money comes through the firm. She'd still have to adhere to the same proof policy."

Dean regarded her grimly but said nothing. She sensed he was holding something back, however.

"Dean? Is there a third avenue here? What aren't you saying?"

He blew out a quiet breath. "Well... The other possibility is that someone dumped us here just to get rid of us."

A chill curled around her spine. The thought had never occured to her. And the reality of his statement was even more disturbing still:

_Get rid of us? Get rid of ME, you mean_...

Still, something didn't fit with that explanation and she was more than willing to grasp at any rational reason why that last theory could _not _be the case. "But that makes no sense, Dean. Why would they have left us supplies then? You don't leave a blanket, flashlight and supplies to someone you want dead."

One side of his mouth twitched upward. "What do you think has been keeping me from getting too worried yet?"

She smiled back, her hope returning. "OK, good. That's good then. I feel a little better again."

"Ah yes... It was all part of my clever psychological plan. Give you the worst-case scenario so that in comparison, your current situation looks fantastic."

Dani couldn't help but laugh. "Well, that's more good news. With such a clever mastermind on my side, I'm sure we'll get out of here."

Dean laughed now too. "Clever mastermind- I like that. Be sure and mention that opinion to my brother when we get out of here, will ya? He always gets to be the smart one, what with all his fancy book learnin' and such."

She continued to giggle. "What sort of fancy book learning?"

"Ah, Law School, or some other such nonsense. He just decided he needed a break from school for a bit, so he's been working with me."

Dani couldn't suppress the nudge of envy at Dean's apparent closeness with his brother. "That's really cool- that you can work so closely with your brother. It must be nice to get along that well."

Dean smirked. "Ah, it ain't always a picnic, that's for sure. We have our moments."

"So, if Sam's the smart one, what does that make you?"

He flashed her his most appealing smile. "The muscle and good looks, of course."

Dani laughed heartily and Dean tried to look appalled that she wasn't taking him seriously, but in the end he laughed along with her. She hoped he hadn't noticed her cheeks getting flushed when he'd brought out that secret weapon of a smile of his.

"Well, you're obviously very close. You're lucky. I wish I could say that about Drew and I."

"You don't get along?"

"No, not really. You'd think that as identical twins we'd automatically have so much in common, but I don't think we could be less alike, in all honestly."

Dean's mind churned over this new information. _Twins?_ _Sammy never mentioned anything about twins..._

"Dean? You OK?"

"Huh? Oh- yeah. I was just thinking about Sam... Wondering where he is right now."

The more he thought about this new development, the more he worried. Since Sam's visions inevitably had something to do with the yellow-eyed demon, was there a possibilty that it hadn't been Dani he'd been seeing, but her twin sister Drew? What if the danger was with Drew? Was his little brother in trouble out there? Without him to protect him?

Dean now knew one thing for certain: They had to get out of there and they had to do it soon.

Dani had been watching Dean transform before her, growing steadily more serious in front of her eyes. She was about to ask him what was going on when he suddenly started to hoist himself up.

"Well, I think it's about time I took a look around and saw what we're dealing with here."

He grimaced slightly and she moved quickly to his side to help him up. "Dean, I'm not sure if it's a good ide-"

"I'm fine. Now that that splinter's out of me, it's a whole new ballgame." He looked past her towards the supplies. "Can you grab me the flashlight?"

"Look, I want to get out of here too, but if it's dark out there's no point in trying to look for cracks where the sunlight-"

"That's if we're sealed in. What if we're not?"

She had no argument for him. She'd thought the same thing earlier when she'd been trying to feel for an opening in the dark. "OK. Let's go."

"Maybe you should stay here." The edge she'd recognized hidden behind his lighthearted demeanor earlier was now in the forefront, but she wasn't about to be pushed around.

"Not likely." She gestured towards his injury. "I'm in better shape than you are, anyway. And feel free to carry the flashlight if it makes you feel like you're in charge, but we're going together."

He smirked at her sudden assertiveness, pleased to find she had some backbone. He'd always liked that in a woman.

"Yes, ma'am."

He shone the flashlight to either side of them and then looked at her in question. "Which way? Ladies choice."


	6. Chapter 6

_This is insane._

Sam gazed at the gray walls and small barred window of his holding cell for the hundredth time and tried to ignore a tickle of anxiety. He could sort this out. They always did. He and Dean had been in way tougher situations.

Except Dean wasn't here and that was part of the problem, and a major reason behind his growing unease.

Having been denied further entry by the receptionist on the second floor of the Archer Building, Sam had made his way back downstairs to get Dean. He'd figured they'd just hang around and stake out the building until the mysterious brunette came back outside; she had to leave sometime. Except when he'd gotten downstairs, Dean was nowhere to be found.

He also wasn't answering his cell phone. Sam had gone back to the car and waited. And waited. And waited some more. But still, no Dean.

When the woman had eventually exited the building, he'd hotwired his brother's car and followed her back to her very large home. Then, figuring there was nothing to be done about her just then, he'd taken down her address info and headed back to the Archer Building, hoping his brother had finally surfaced. But still there had been no sign of him.

Hours had passed and finally, in desperation, he'd decided to try to carefully contact the police. And of course it had all gone downhill from there.

It turned out his brother wasn't the only person missing. The brunette from his vision (who turned out to be one of the "Archer's" that the building was presumably named after) apparently had a twin sister and she had also disappeared from the building around the same time as Dean. And to top it all off, they had a nice shot of Dean on the building's video surveillance camera wandering around the front just around the time they suspected the Archer woman went missing.

Sam laid back on the bunk and put his arms behind his head, unimpressed and worried.

He was pretty sure the police hadn't figured out that the black Impala parked around the corner from the police station was Dean's- the stuff in the trunk was hidden fairly well, but a decent forensics team would probably find the hidden compartment in the trunk. Not to mention all the fake ID's in the console in the front...

_Dean, where the hell are you?_

* * *

Dani had felt Dean's tensions easing a bit when she'd jokingly suggested that he put his boots back on before they wandered around the cave, but he still seemed more tightly wound than before. And what they'd discovered hadn't done much to ease her own worries either.

They had found a section of wall that was recently caved in- they figured there had been an entrance there before that. And although they could feel a cool draft coming in from different sections of the mass of boulders, there was no obvious opening to be found now. They could only hope that when the sun came up and revealed some cracks, an escape route would become more apparent.

She lit one of the candles and sat down on the sandy floor, leaning against the rock wall. Dean flicked off the flashlight and sat down heavily beside her, sighing.

"This sucks."

"Yep."

"Are there a lot of caves around Albuquerque? I don't know the area that well."

"Yeah. There are hundreds." She frowned, looking over at him helplessly. Dean's eyes hardened briefly and then he leaned his head back against the rock.

"Great."

_Sammy, you better be OK out there cuz I sure as hell don't know when I'll be getting out of here..._

Dani wasn't trying to read Dean's emotions but they were coming through loud and clear nonetheless, probably because there was just the two of them and obviously tensions were running high. She just couldn't figure out what had triggered this heightened worry in Dean. Something earlier had clearly set him off and she wanted to ask him about it, but it seemed foolish to question him on his concerns in light of everything that had already happened to them. 'What's bothering you?' seemed like a ridiculous question at the moment.

Still, they'd been in the cave for a while before he'd started to seem truly concerned. Had she said something that had caused this worry, or had he just been in denial about their situation until now and a sudden realization of the seriousness of their situation had finally kicked in? Either way she was already missing the more cavalier Dean of a few short hours ago and she desperately wanted him back. Somehow, his lightheartedness had kept her from getting as worried herself.

She didn't know what to say, but she wanted to try to get things back on more steady ground again. "I... are you cold? I should give you back your jacket-"

"No, I'm fine. I'm sure you need it more than me." His eyes lingered on her tank top a little longer than was necessary and she felt the beginnings of a blush forming.

"Uh, OK. Thanks. Again."

He nodded distractedly and looked away, and all she wanted to do was change the dismal mood that seemed to enveloped them. "You know, it seemed pretty drafty over there. I bet when the sun comes up, we'll see a million little holes and we can figure out how to break through... don't you think?"

He turned his head and looked at her from the corner of his eye. He let out a deep breath and smirked, turning to her fully. "I'm being a downer, aren't I?"

She laughed. "Dean, I think under the circumstances..." She shrugged her shoulders.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm just a little... I'm worried about my brother."

Her brows went up in surprise. "You're trapped in a cave with a stranger and you're worried about your brother?"

He laughed. "Yep."

And with the realization of how ridiculous it sounded, he felt himself relaxing a bit. He probably _was_ over-reacting. As much as he wanted to protect his little brother, he knew that Sam could take care of himself for the most part. Not to mention there had been no warning signs to indicate the demon was coming anywhere near Albuquerque; they'd checked that out before they'd arrived.

He looked over at her with a chagrined smile. "I guess... Well, we've been through a lot together, Sam and me. Sometimes I can't help but get all _older-brothery_."

She nodded, smiling. "It's not like that's a bad thing. Sam's lucky to have someone who cares so much." Once again, she couldn't help but feel envious of Dean's closeness with his brother.

Dean sensed a sadness behind the smile but didn't say anything. He figured it was true what they say: Money can't buy happiness. And you can't pick your family. He guessed he'd gotten lucky in that department.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes and Dani eyed him sympathetically. "You need more sleep, Dean."

"So do you. It's the middle of the night."

She nodded and yawned herself. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She eyed the blanket on Dean's other side warily, uncertain how to proceed. When she lifted her eyes back to Dean's, he grinned and waggled his brows suggestively.

"So, care to snuggle under our one and only blanket?"

She laughed nervously and pulled his jacket a little tighter around her. "Um, well... If you don't mind me keeping it, I think your jacket will do me fine."

"Dani, I was just joking about the snuggling stuff. You're safe with me." He eyed her uncomfortably and then reached for the blanket. "I swear I'd never-"

"I know you wouldn't..." She trailed off, embarrassed at cutting him off like that. "I just think I'll be fine with this... unless you want it back?"

He smirked, deciding not to force the issue. "No, I don't want it back. At least not until we get out of here. It's all yours." He pulled the duffle bag between them. "But we can at least share the pillow."

She yawned again and gave him a small, grateful smile. He laid down at one end of the bag and pulled the blanket over himself. "You got the candle?"

She grabbed it while she curled up at her end of the bag. "Yup." She blew it out and moved it to the side. "G'nite, Dean. Thanks again for the jacket."

"No problem. G'nite." He rolled onto his side, being careful of his wounded shin. "And if you get cold, feel free to share the blanket."

"Uh, thanks. I will."

Dani hoped she hadn't unintentionally insulted him by turning down his offer of "hospitality", especially since they'd obviously be a lot warmer with the combined heat of two bodies under the blanket. In fact, Dean probably would have laughed if he'd known that she really had no fears that he would try anything with her- she was actually more worried about herself.

She had to acknowledge that she had been instantly attracted to him physically, and she was growing more attracted to him the longer they were together. She swallowed heavily, trying to ignore the urge to crawl in beside him right now. It wasn't helping matters that his head lay less than a foot from hers at the moment.

And because they'd only been trapped together for such a short time, she rationalized that it couldn't be the man that was evoking these feelings in her; it was the situation. That and the fact that, had she made it back to Boston as planned, she would probably be single again right now. So that was all this was: the result of a confluence of unusual events. It was all just making her off-kilter and subject to strange... _longings_.

Dani suddenly felt like she was doing Dean an injustice by dismissing his appeal so readily, and her mind began to backpaddle. Afterall, it wasn't like he was unattractive- he was _definitely_ a good looking man, even in his current scraped-up and dishevelled state. And more importantly, she had liked him almost instantly. Clearly he knew how to work the charm angle; she wasn't naive. But she also got a good feeling from him- he gave off a vibe of reliability and trustworthiness.

Unfortunately, it wasn't his personality that was running through her brain just then. _No guy should be allowed to have green eyes that beautiful. There oughtta be a law..._

This last thought made her smile softly to herself as she finally succumbed to her exhaustion

* * *

A persistent tickle at his chin barely roused Dean from his deep slumber. He was so warm and comfortable, he'd forgotten he was sleeping on a bed of dirt.

He flicked at the annoying tickle again and then pulled the slight, soft body at his side a little closer, sighing contentedly when his hand found rest on her hip. When the slight, soft body at his side sighed in return and briefly rubbed a hand across his chest, his eyes opened wide and he froze in place, shocked at this new development.

While he couldn't see anything in the dark he could feel Dani pressed up against him, and in his sleep he had apparently turned partly towards her and slid an arm under her neck to accommodate her. Now, her face was currently nestled between his shoulder and his neck and it had been her hair that was tickling his chin. One of her arms was pressed between them while the other clutched at his chest.

As her shallow breaths whispered against his throat, his fingers tightened on her hip and he fought the urge to run his hand up her body and explore her subtle curves, her soft skin...

He grimaced to himself, remembering that he'd told her she was safe with him. The last thing he wanted to do was have her wake up to find herself being accosted. Although... She _was _the one who had snuggled up to him in the first place.

He gave his brain a mental shake. _She was cold, genius. She's not offering you a free ride._

More than slightly aroused by how fantastic she felt against his body and completely frustrated by the fact that he was unable to do anything about it, he pulled the blanket a little tighter below her neck, deciding he could at least try to keep her warm. The arm he had underneath her curled up to rest on her shoulder, and he massaged it softly through his jacket before he became motionless once more. Tilting his face into her hair, he breathed in the enticing scent of her and groaned lightly as he tried to force himself to relax and go back to sleep. Unfortunately, his mind kept circling the same maddening thought:

_How can something feel this good and suck so much at the same time?_


	7. Chapter 7

**_A.N.:_** Man, this is a tough crowd- very few reviews! Thanks to those of you who took the time, I really, _really_ appreciate it. You know, even if you think the story sucks, I'd be interested to hear why you think so. Please, gimme something... ANYTHING! **:p**

I'd also like to mention that I'm finding it a bit challenging to write a story about a character in a currently airing series when there's such a major story arc developing. Somehow, it was a little easier with my CSI fics! lol So again, I will ask you to bear with my novice attempts.

* * *

Dani snuggled in closer to the wonderful source of heat beside her, sighing contentedly. Clutching tighter at the chest beneath her, she started to open her eyes... and was momentarily confused by the persistent darkeness. She blinked her eyes to make sure they were really open, her head resting on her boyfriend's shoulder. She couldn't remember how she'd come to be back with Jack, especially since she'd been planning to-

_OH_.

It all came flooding back to her in an uncomfortable rush.

_This isn't Jack_.

And now she was all too aware of the hard packed dirt beneath her. And every single tantalizing point where her body was touching Dean's. Her face began to warm up with embarrassment... and something else she'd rather not think about right now.

She'd awoken in the "middle" of the night to find herself freezing and had decided to bite the bullet and make the move to share the blanket. She had scootched over to Dean, who had fortunately been turned away from her, and had slipped carefully under the thick woollen material next to him. Instantly appreciating his body heat, she'd fallen back to sleep.

And now she was wrapped around the poor guy. She hoped she hadn't hit his injured leg at any point during her unintentional mauling.

As she considered how to extricate herself before Dean woke up, she felt further confusion and bemusement at her uncharacteristic behaviour. This was bizarre- she'd never been the type to sleep this close to someone; Jack could attest to that. She had always relished having her side of the bed all to herself when she went to sleep and it had frequently been a point of contention between the two of them. In a reversal of the age-old man vrs. woman "cuddling argument", Dani had always fought the female norm and complained that she "needed her space," much to Jack's constant annoyance. And yet here she was, practically pasted into Dean's side with one arm thrown across his chest and one knee wedged between his legs.

She listened to his quiet breathing as she slowly removed her arm from his chest. Her goal was to get out of this situation before he-

"_Mornin'_."

Dani just barely held back an embarrassed groan when she recognized the amusement in Dean's voice. "Uh... good morning."

"Sleep well?" More amusement.

Utterly mortified now, she pulled her knee from between his thighs and sighed heavily. "Yeah. I guess I did." He chuckled softly as she pushed herself to a sitting position beside him and she couldn't bear it any longer. "Dean, I... I didn't mean to... I don't normally-"

"_Dani_. Relax. It's no big deal. It was cold." He sat up himself and rubbed his bare arms. It was warmer now, but there was still a damp coolness in the air.

"But still... I'm sorry about the... the..."

"_Snuggling_?" She could _hear _the grin on his face now.

She laughed lightly, finally allowing herself to see the humor in the situaion. "Yeah, _that_." She fumbled around looking for the candle and matches. "I'm not normally a cuddly person. I guess I was just cold and I was-"

"Drawn to my warm personality?"

She lit a match and held it to the candle wick. His eyes were sparkling with suppressed laughter and she shook her head, uanble to hold back a grin. "Yes, that's _exactly_ it, Dean. I found you irresistable."

He smiled widely. "Sweetheart, if I had a dime for every time I'd heard _that_ before..."

They both laughed and Dani felt a little more relaxed again. "Seriously though, I hope you weren't too uncomfortable, stuck under my dead weight."

One side of his mouth tweaked up at the corner. "Yeah, it was a real hardship. I hate it when beautiful women drape themselves over me."

She laughed again, a blush forming. _God, I feel like I'm 16 again_... "Yeah, well... I didn't hurt your leg did I?"

"Nope."

"That's a relief. I should probably take a look at it anyway..." His unrelenting smile was beginning to drive her to distraction and she swallowed carefully. "Um... Hungry?"

"I'm starving, in fact." He continued to grin, unsettling her even more. He was enjoying her little diversionary tactics after his compliment. Maybe she wasn't used to compliments? While he found that hard to believe, he had to admit he found modesty very becoming on her. Fully aware of her dicomfort, he decided to give it a rest and started rummaging in the bag with her.

"OK, what do we got here?"

* * *

_Vagrancy_? This was getting ridiculous.

Sam pushed the mess of string beans around on the plastic plate, more unimpressed with the situation than ever. He couldn't believe they'd managed to keep holding him here on such a trumped-up charge. It didn't take a pre-law background to realize it was totally bogus. He'd fully expected to get the "don't leave town" speech, but the extended stay behind bars had come as a bit of a surprise. Clearly the Archers had some pull around town.

The only good luck he seemed to be having at the moment centered around the fact that his current alias seemed to be holding up. He'd had no doubts about all the red flags that would have shot up if he'd given the last name Winchester. That shapeshifter in St. Louis had unfortunately left Dean with a rather colourful police file, regardless of the fact that he was also supposed to be dead. He could only imagine how much deeper the hot water he was in right now would be if he'd thrown out the name Sam Winchester.

And so, Sam Corbett sat in an Albuquerque jail cell while Dean Corbett was missing in action and suspected of kidnapping.

Sam came close to throwing his tray across the room in frustration but he managed to control himself; they'd probably add littering to his list of charges, with his luck. Somehow, he failed to find amusement in the thought. He needed to find Dean, and quickly.

_But how the hell am I supposed to do that from behind bars?_

His only hope right now was that the police actually tracked Dean down during their bullshit kidnapping investigation. He knew that it couldn't be just a coincidence that Danielle Archer had gone missing at the same time and place as Dean. Add to that the fact that Sam had had a vision about one of the twins (he realized now that he had no way of knowing which one) and he was sure they were together _somewhere_.

The thought that Dean probably wasn't alone was something of a comfort to him, although a small one. But it was all he had right now.

* * *

"They definitely didn't put a lot of thought into the food." Dean grimaced as he bit into one of the energy bars they'd found in the food sack.

"No kidding. I'm not quite sure why they thought we'd need all these packets of salt and pepper." Dani shook the small paper sack from KFC and frowned. "At least all the wet-naps might come in handy."

"They probably just grabbed 'em on the way here..." That got Dean to thinking. "Do you know of a KFC that borders the town, maybe? One on the way to the desert?"

Dani shrugged. "There are plenty of them, unfortunately. Or at least, there's not a location that stands out to me."

Dean nodded. It wasn't like their exact location was their biggest problem right now, anyway. He looked past Dani as he crinkled up the wrapper. "Ah, doesn't matter. Anyway, I think it's time we headed back over to see if there's a way out of here."

"Yeah, but let me just take a quick peek at your leg first."

Dean pulled his pant leg back to reveal the bandage and she gently pried it back. "Well, I said it before and I'll say it again: you're a fast healer."

"Ah, just one of my many innate abilities. You should see me play pool."

She smiled. "I'll take your word for it." She stood up and wiped her hands on her pants. "Shall we?"

Dean grabbed the flashlight from the bag and Dani snuffed out the candle. She walked at his side as they made their way back towards what they assumed used to be an opening to the cave. They stopped a short distance away and Dean flicked off the flashlight.

This time, instead of pitch blackness, a few pinpricks of light appeared high up in the pile of rubble. Dani felt her hopes rising. "OK, we just need to get up there and dig-"

Dean reached out from beside her in the darkness and laid a hand on her arm. "Hold on, there. That may not be as easy as it sounds." He flicked on the flashlight and pointed the light towards the top of the pile. "This stuff is loaded up here, but who knows how packed it is? We're going to have to be careful."

"We? Dean, you're not going to be able to climb up there. Your leg is-"

"Forget it. If anyone's climbing up there, it's me."

He held the light between them, the beam reflecting off their respective chests and casting a glow on their faces. Stubborn eyes regarded stubborn eyes.

"That's ridiculous. I think I'm reasonably fit, and I can handle myself... and more importantly, I'm not injured. I'm the smarter choice."

"Maybe. But I'm still the one who's going up there." She didn't even have a chance to sputter out her indignation before he was thrusting the flashlight into her hand and angling it upwards for her. "Keep the light just ahead of me."

And then he was trying to climb. Dani helf the flashlight tightly, trying to keep her temper from boiling over. "Fine. But if you fall down and crack your head open-"

"You'll be there to fix me up." He turned his head slightly and she could see a smug grin on his face. "Another reason why I should be doing this and not you. If you fall and hurt yourself I'm not really qualified to fix you up, now am I?"

She muttered something about it not mattering in the long run if he was crushed by tumbling rocks, but apparently sounds carried well through the cave. "Well Dani, like you said, you seem pretty fit. I'm sure you could pull me out."

The matter-of-factness in his tone just pissed her off more. "Will you quit yapping and pay attention to where you're climbing. Just because I can try to fix you up if you get hurt doesn't mean I _want_ to."

He laughed out loud, pausing for a moment in his slow climbing. "You got it, boss."

Still annoyed, she didn't respond.

It was slow going, but Dean finally made it up near the top after a few sliding setbacks. Dani watched carefully as he pulled and pushed at various decent sized boulders, unable to ignore the sympathy she felt for him when he groaned in frustration at not being able to budge any of it. Her temper had simmered somewhat while she'd been watching him hopefully.

"Dammit." He pounded one particularly large chunk of rock. "This stuff isn't moving an inch. It's jammed in here good. In fact, I'd be afraid if I did manage to move one, the rest would just come smashing down."

Dani was now regretting her earlier mutterings about Dean getting crushed by rocks. She'd probably jinxed them. Not to mention how much of an effort he'd been putting in up there, trying to free them. It was childish of her to be standing down here with a bruised ego when clearly Dean was doing the best he could... and undoubtedly a better job than she could have. Facts were facts: he was stronger than her. And if he couldn't budge the stuff, there's no way she could have done it either. They seemed to be as trapped as ever. She sighed with disappointment, but Dean misinterpreted the source.

"Look, _Miss Super Doctor_... C'mon up here if you think you could do a better job." His irritation was palpable and she almost took a step backwards at his vehemence.

"No, Dean I... I know I couldn't do a better job. You... you've done all you can. I can see that."

He didn't reply as he turned and started to ease his way back down the rock and dirt. He finally slid the remaining distance to the bottom and she moved towards him sheepishly. She wanted to say something more to remove the terse expression on his face, but she couldn't think of a single thing. She handed him back the flashlight and tried to avoid his eyes.

"I'm sorry I yelled. I was just a little... frustrated."

"It's OK. I know you tried. There's... there's obviously nothing we can do. It's not your fault."

A dismal mood had descended upon them once again, and they both remained silent as they made their way back to their "home base". Dani sat down dejectedly and grabbed for the candle. They'd used about half of this one, but they still had quite a few more. Hopefully they'd last...

_But for how long? How long will be stuck in here?_

She lit the candle and Dean flicked off the flashlight, dropping it beside the duffle bag. He was grabbing at a bottle of water and she watched his profile distractedly, suddenly more worried than ever.

_Are we going to die in here?_

_

* * *

_

_A.N:_ OK, I had this pretty much written before last night's new episode aired. While it doesn't affect my story that much, I did make a random shapeshifter reference. Anyway, just for the sake of fighting to stay ahead of a moving storyline, I'm just going to pretend like last night's episode, "Night Shifter" hasn't happened. I can't worry about the FBI right now! lol


	8. Chapter 8

**_A.N:_** Sorry for the delay guys. I've had a busy couple of weeks and it doesn't seem to want to slow down. Bleh!

And wow, all that whining really paid off. I guess it's true- the squeaky wheel _does _get the oil! _lol _Anyhoo, thanks so much for the reviews. I get all excited when I come on and see new ones!

* * *

Dean took a swig of water and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. His shin was pulsating a bit but he could deal with it. He turned to offer Dani some water and caught the look on her face.

_Shit_.

"Look, Dani... I really am sorry about my little, uh... outburst back there. I know you didn't-"

"It's OK, Dean. I know. We're cool."

He nodded, handing her the bottle of water. It wasn't exactly hard to figure out what was really bothering her. Their situation was looking grimmer by the hour. He had no idea what to say to her to make it all better, so he said nothing.

She took a gulp of the water and passed it back, suddenly assuming a business-like air. "I better take another look at your leg. It's probably in need of a clean after your little climbing expedition."

She wiped the area around the wound carefully with a wet nap and then cleaned the wound itself with some alcohol on a cotton pad. Dean sat resolutely and didn't complain. He could tell that this was her way of fighting back the fear, of staying in control, and he understood completely.

When she was finished, Dani tore open another wetnap and gave her face a good wipe. When she finished, the little make-up she'd had left was completely gone, but Dean didn't think it mattered. She looked just as good without it. But even so, her expression was still bleak. And he understood that too.

Catching him watching her, she smiled shyly. "I feel a little more human again."

Dean smiled back, but her choice of words sent his brain spinning back to all the _inhuman_ things he dealt with on a regular basis; he and Sam. Once again, the persistent concern about his brother gnawed at him: He needed to get them out of there. And looking at Dani's melancholy expression, he knew he needed to do it as much for her as for himself; he wanted to see her safe again, too.

He reached for her hand. "Listen... we're gonna get out of here. One way or another." When her eyes widened slightly and she looked at the ground uncertainly, he squeezed her fingers. "Hey..." She raised her eyes to his again and he ammended his statement. "_Alive_. We're making it outta here one way or another _alive_."

All of a sudden, Dani could feel the confidence rolling off him in waves and she inhaled sharply at the emotive onslaught. Dean furrowed his brow. "You OK?"

Surprisingly, she felt like laughing. Somehow his certainty was making her feel more positive about the situation again. Maybe this "gift" of hers had an upside after all. And for whatever reason, she found herself believing him when he said they'd get out of there. "Actually, I'm feeling a little better about... _things_. You seem so sure of yourself."

He flashed her a cocky grin. "Yep, I am."

She smiled back. "Well, then I believe you. We're getting out of here. _Alive_."

He nodded, once again impressed at how well she was keeping it together. A lot of people would have crumbled by now but she just seemed to keep on bouncing back. He squeezed her fingers one more time but said nothing. Truth was, he was a little overwhelmed by her professed belief in him- unsettled by it, in fact. He didn't want to let her down.

She slowly removed her hand from his grasp, ignoring the tingling warmth that had been circulating there. "I'm going to crack one of these cans of tuna. You want some?" She settled on a flavour and pulled the tab, her eyes settling on his questioningly.

He read her can label and grimaced. "You're goin' for the herb and garlic, huh? Good thing I have lots of gum left."

She paused, her plastic spoonful of tuna suspended mid-bite. She stared at him blankly until a cheeky grin replaced the feigned look of disgust on his face. Laughing, she grabbed another plastic spoon and threw it at him before digging into her small can of stinky tuna.

* * *

Sam looked up at the sound of clanking doors in the distance. Then the door just past his cell opened and the dark haired woman of his visions appeared. Or at least there was a 50 percent chance that she was the woman of his visions.

Both the tail end of a conversation and a man in an expensive suit followed her into the corridor.

"... not a good idea, Drew. This is an ongoing investigation and he-"

"Save it. I know what I'm doing."

She stopped in front of Sam's cell and stared at him, her eyes stoney. He eyed her warily in return.

"Mr. Corbett, I'm Drew Archer. Your brother seems to have disappeared with my sister, Danielle."

Sam stood and moved towards her, considering her choice of words. Were they an accusation or merely a statement? From his side of the bars, he took her all in. She was much shorter than he was (then again, most women were) but there was a confidence and determination in her stance that showed she wasn't afraid of him. And she was beautiful, if in a cold way. Her large brown eyes were lovely but were definitely lacking in warmth, although he could understand why she might not be that happy to speak with him.

He measured his stare to match the frigidity of hers. "My brother is missing, Ms. Archer. I reported that to the police and got tossed in here for my efforts. Albuquerque has a strange way of investigating missing persons claims."

"So you're saying you have no knowledge of my sister's disappearance? Despite the fact that it happened concurrently with your brother going missing?"

Sam didn't back down. "That's right. Despite all accusations to the contrary, my brother and I didn't come to town to kidnap _anybody_, particularly not your sister."

They eyed each other stubbornly, neither giving an inch.

Sam was disconcerted by the fact that he found her attractive, depite her obvious hardness. He wasn't normally drawn to the high-maintenance types, and this woman had "_me me me_" written all over her. Drew, on the other hand secretly wanted him to beg and barter with her in an attempt to persuade her to help him get out of jail. She was surprised and vaguely annoyed that he wasn't catering to her wishes.

"Well, if you're not able to help me, then I guess we're done here." Drew paused a moment, hoping the finality of her tone would trigger a last ditch desperate plea from the attractive stranger in front of her. Much to her continuing dismay, Sam did not cooperate.

"If you continue to approach this from the standpoint that my brother is a kidnapper and not a victim like your sister, then I guess you're right: I can't help you." He turned and moved back to his cot, sitting down. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."

He laid back and put his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

Drew fumed at the obvious dismissal and she slammed doors angrily all the way out of the building.

But something was troubling her more than the fact that she hadn't gotten the upper hand: Why couldn't she get a read from him? One of her earliest "powers" had been the ability to get vibes off people, to be able to sense their feelings to a certain degree, and if anything it had gotten stronger over time. But she hadn't gotten zilch from Sam. And perhaps more distressingly, she hadn't been able to influence him the way she could everyone else. Her merest suggestion usually had people scrambling to carry out her every whim, but Sam had barely acknowledged her presence. What the hell was going on here?

Why was this Sam Corbett person immune to her "gifts"?

* * *

"What about this one?" Dani punctuated her question by snapping her gum noisily. Dean laughed as he handled the shard of rock she'd passed to him.

"OK, I get it. No more bad breath jokes." He pushed on each end of the rock and it split in two. "And no go on the rock. Not thick enough."

"_Grrrrrrr_." She kept picking through rocks, looking for one that would last as a digging or a wedging tool. So far they'd only found two that _might _work.

"Did you just growl?" Dean watched her backside with interest as she continued to bend over the rocks and rifle through them.

She turned around, grinning and slightly embarrassed. "Oops. Didn't think I'd done that out loud."

"Interesting. A growling woman." He flicked a couple useless rocks to the side. _Yeah, interesting_..._ and cute and funny and sexy_._ I gotta get outta this cave soon before I-_

"Dean? Hello? You awake over there?"

Now it was his turn to grin sheepishly. "Sorry, what was that?"

She moved closer again. "What about this one?"

As she squatted beside him in the candlelight, he took the rock from her hands and pretended to examine it, all the while casting surreptitious glances at the perspiration dripping down her collarbone to points south. She'd taken off his jacket a while back, heated up by the exertion of hefting rocks around. She'd pulled her hair up into a ponytail with one of those hairbands that women with long hair always seemed to make magically appear. The knees of her tan pants were dirty and her white tank top was getting dustier by the minute. She had smudges of dirt on her face, one of which she was now smearing as she unconsciously rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead.

He couldn't believe how gorgeous she looked.

Luckily, years of experience had taught him how to suppress the stiffening sensation that threatened to get going downstairs. He refocused on the rock in his hands, trying hard to break it but it held strong. "This one's not bad."

She nodded and moved back to the pile of rocks to search some more. Dean turned back to his own section, forcing himself not to look at her behind again. That might be a little more than he could handle right now.

* * *

Dani sat down tiredly on a pile of rock, trying to think positively despite some of the negative thoughts running through her brain. She didn't have a lot of hope that they'd be able to wedge any of those top boulders out, but they might be able to dig at the sides near where some of the gaps were. And anyway, they had to at least try.

She looked over to where Dean was sitting, watching him sharpen one rock using another. He seemed to know what he was doing and she was once again thankful that he was here with her.

The candle on the ground beside him showed him in profile, revealing a masculine jawline and a strong, straight nose. As he concentrated on his task, she took a moment to observe him a little more closely.

She swallowed as her gaze followed his jaw down to a pair of broad, muscular shoulders. He wasn't big and bulky; more tall, lean and muscular, a look she had to admit she'd always appreciated. If there was one thing she could say about Jack, he was tall and fit. He was also really attractive, but that's pretty much where the similarities ended.

True to her usual tastes in men, Jack was dark-haired and dark-eyed. He was also incredibly intelligent and outwardly fairly personable. At least he had been during the first half of their relationship. Looking at the two men now side by side in her mind, she saw that Dean and Jack could not be more different.

Dean seemed to be able to find the lighter side of any situation while Jack, on the other hand could create tension where none had been before. And though he was generally nice enough on the surface, and did get along with almost everyone, when Jack was stressed out or in a bad mood, anyone in the vicinity was fair game for his defensive, acidic tongue. He never apologized afterwards and never seemed to feel any regrets, claiming he was working very hard at his doctorate and therefore allowances should be made for him. Dani had long ago given up hoping that he _did_ actually feel guilt or remorse.

While he was never emotionally abusive, he was frequently very cold and self-absorbed, and some of her friends had joked that _he_ should have been the doctor and not Dani. And somewhere along the line, during one of the many instances where she had either mentally or physically retreated from her boyfriend as a means of self-preservation for her own mood, she'd stopped caring. The irony was, he'd never even noticed. In fact, she'd found out by accident through some mutual friends that he had been ring shopping recently and that a proposal was imminent.

How someone could be so unattuned to the one person he should have been closest to was beyond her comprehension. Then again, in all fairness she had met his parents and they were the epitome of the cool, sophisticated professional couple. With that sort of example growing up, maybe it was no wonder that Jack had become the man he was. But still, her upbringing had been far from normal and yet she could recognize when something was missing from a relationship, especially, as was the case here, something that was so important: _Love_. The guy was utterly clueless.

And so she'd decided that she couldn't put it off any longer: as soon as she had returned to Boston, she had planned to end their relationship. The thought of getting it over with had buoyed her with a sense of relief.

And then she'd awoken in a dark, cold cave with a complete stranger... a stranger who she was already finding more intriguing and enticing than her boyfriend had _ever_ been. Again, the irony was not lost on her.

Unaware of Dani's blatant inspection, Dean reached back and massaged the back of his neck, clearly as weary as she was. She felt a pang of sympathy and fought back the urge to go over and massage his neck for him. At the same time, she tried to ignore the fact that her mouth was going dry as she watched his arm muscles flexing. She attempted to wet her parched lips with a tongue that was probably drier than the desert outside.

_Thirsty_. _I'm just thirsty, that's all_.

She almost laughed at her own denial: _Yeah, you're thirsty alright_. _Thirsty for that tall drink of water sitting right over there_. She looked at her feet, still amused but also mildly ashamed of herself. _Man, when did I become so shallow?_

She did laugh out loud this time, catching Dean's attention. He looked in her direction, smiling questioningly. "What's so funny?"

She was far enough away that he couldn't see her blush. She laughed again and put her face down on her knees, mumbling. "Uh, nothing. I think I'm just tired and a bit goofy."

"Are you thirsty? I still have some water over here."

She laughed again, embarrassed even though there was no way he could have been aware of her musings on thirst. He laughed with her this time. "Maybe some food is in order too, Miss goofy. Want to limp back over to the supplies and rustle ourselves up some lunch?"

She nodded and stood up, thankful for the distraction. She must be suffering from low blood sugar or something. These were not the thoughts of a rational woman. She should be focused on how they were going to get out of there and nothing else.

She was pointlessly wiping her dirty hands on her dirtier pants when Dean reached her, smiling casually. Her heart refused to be sensible and did a few flip flops as she gazed into his handsome, smiling face.

_Damn_. _Even when I first met Jack, he never looked this sexy to me_.

She smiled back guiltily at Dean and then turned and started moving back towards their home base before he noticed that she was practically drooling.

_Food_. _I need food_. _And that's ALL I need_...

* * *

After they ate, played in the rocks some more and made a few attempts at trying to shift some of the top rocks, Dani and Dean were ready to call it a day. The light outside the cracks was fading quickly.

As Dean settled to the ground and began opening some tuna, Dani grabbed the flashlight and a handful of wetnaps before sneaking around the corner to the desinated "ladies" area. She cleaned herself up as best she could and then returned to Dean. He'd considerately laid a few "supper" options out for her perusal and she thanked him as she sat down across from him.

He stared at her, grinning and making her nervous. "What?"

He said nothing as he leaned in closer and stared into her face. She chewed her lower lip nervously... and then jumped at the sound of a wetnap package being torn open. Dean reached up and delicately wiped some smudges off her cheek. "You missed a couple spots."

She was suddenly so wired she couldn't even say thanks. She was certain the grin on her face probably looked vaguely crazy, but it was all she could manage. Even though she wasn't cold, she must have shivered because the next thing she knew, he was placing his jacket back around her shoulders. She pulled it closer around her and finally managed the power of speech.

"Thanks, dad."

He laughed and then gave her a suggestive smile. "No problem. Let me know when you're ready to be tucked in, kitten."

She tried to look shocked at his innuendo, but her laughter bubbled up until it finally overflowed. The two of them laughed together companionably for a while before their mutual yawns began to interupt.

"I better check out your leg before I pass out, Dean. Can you pass me the first aid kit?"

As she went through her usual ministrations, Dean eyed the dirty bandage on the back of Dani's hand. When she was finished with him, he reached out and held her hand, turning it over and gently removing the bandage. Copying her methods, he cleaned her cut and applied a new bandage. When he was finished, he looked back into her face and was startled by the intensity of her gaze. She'd looked... _what?_ He didn't even want to guess; they might end up in dangerous territory. And yet he couldn't deny the small flicker of hope he felt... but he could smother it. And he would.

And guessing by the way she'd turned her head quickly away as she mumbled "thanks", Dani thought that anything that happened between them would be a mistake too.

Dean was familiar enough with the whole man/woman scene to know that she found him attractive. And normally he took his fun wherever he could get it, especially since there were never any strings attached. Well, at least there were _almost_ never any strings attached. Cassie was a good case in point- he'd really cared about her and yet they hadn't been able to make it work. It always came back to the job. He and Sam didn't have much time for anything else, least of all _entanglements_. And that's what this would be. Dani was special, he could tell that right away. She was exactly the type of woman he could see himself falling for.

"Dean? You OK?"

The gentle concern in her warm brown eyes pulled him out of his internal reflections. "Yeah, I'm cool." He grabbed the blanket and started to lay himself out on the ground to get some sleep, knowing the only way to keep his sanity in such a tempting situation was to play around with it. By making the situation less than than serious, he hoped he could avoid getting his heart trounced again. Somehow he had a feeling it would be a lot worse this time if he succumbed.

And so he settled on the overt, lighthearted flirting that usually protected him so well.

"So what do you say... care to join me? You know you want to." He patted the ground beside him, his eyebrows rising and falling in an ridiculously provocative manner.

Dani laughed heartily at his comic shamelessness. "Alright... I may curl in behind you. I know I'll just end up freezing if I don't. But I promise you, I'll keep my hands to myself this time. I'm pretty sure I'm too exhausted to 'snuggle', even if I wanted to."

"Yeah, whatever. We'll see." He flashed her his cockiest smile. "After all, we've already established that I'm irresistable."


	9. Chapter 9

"OK, Corbett. Bail's paid. You're free to go."

Sam watched in amazement as the door to his cell slid open. The men in the neighbouring cells looked on enviously.

"That's it? I'm released just like that?" Sam looked at the guard skeptically but the other man shrugged noncommittally.

"Well, you're welcome to stay but we're gonna have to start chargin' ya room and board."

Sam smirked and moved eagerly past the guards before they changed their minds. Despite the fact that he'd known all along they had very little to hold him on, he had no idea what had finally clued the police in to this fact... but he wasn't going to stick around to find out.

He suddenly found himself standing outside the police station, squinting at the muted winter sunlight of Albuquerque. He considered his next move, and while he was relieved to be free again, he also felt a little overwhelmed.

Where did he start to look for Dean? Any trail he'd left behind was probably cold by now. Still, that wouldn't stop him. He'd find him no matter what it took. He knew Dean would do the same for him.

With a new sense of purpose, he started down the sidewalk... and came to a halt at the unexpected sight before him. Was this another vision?

* * *

Still asleep, Dani squeezed her eyes more tightly shut as if unconsciously trying to see inside her dream more clearly. The tall, dark-haired young man was talking to... _who?_ She couldn't see a face but it looked like...

_Drew? _

Her brow furrowed tighter as she strained in her sleep.

_Or is it ME?_

The images faded out, and she started to come awake in a state of mild confusion. Once again, the lack of even the smallest amount of light when she opened her eyes was disconcerting, but at least she remembered where she was this time. And she also knew who was currently spooning her from behind.

Her heart began to flutter erratically while she contemplated the hand that lay nestled just below her chest. She knew she should move herself away from him and get up, but she couldn't seem to make her body cooperate. It just felt too... _good_. The warmth of him pressed against her back was muddling her brain, and despite the fact that they were pretty much as close as two fully-dressed people could get, she had to fight back the urge to push more tightly against him.

With an internal sigh of regret, she decided to move away before she embarrassed herself. She placed her hand on the one he had wrapped around her and began to tug gently on it as she prepared to slide fom his grasp.

She froze when he moaned softly into her hair and pulled her tighter against him. His fingers began to massage her ribcage through her thin cotton tank top, and her breath caught in her throat when his thumb slide ever so slightly upwards into the channel between her breasts, grazing the area above the middle of her bra. He pushed his pelvis more tightly against her and then seemed to settle back into his slumber.

Afraid he would feel the mounting heat where her lower regions pressed into his groin, she cleared her throat lightly and pulled herself from his grasp. She all but gasped for air as she sat up, trying to calm herself down.

Dean moaned behind her, waking up. She crawled in what she figured was the direction of the water and the candles, but she avoided lighting one until she had a better hold over herself. She was afraid her flushed face would reveal more than a woman who'd just woken up. As she opened the bottle and slugged back some water, Dean's voice came out of the darkness.

"Bleh. My mouth tastes like sand."

Taking a deep but quiet breath, Dani smiled in the darkness. "Ah, _sand_. That explains your breath then."

When Dean didn't respond, Dani imagined he was probably blowing into his palm in the dark, trying to smell his own breath. She laughed lightly. "Dean... I'm _kidding_."

She heard him pull himself into a sitting position, and then she could hear him moving towards her. She felt the candle being taken from her hands and a match lit. Dean looked over the flame at her, his eyes intense. "Want to see if my breath is really so bad?"

Dani gulped a quick breath of air in surprise as Dean's face moved towards hers, his eyes on her lips...

And then she snapped awake as Dean's voice finally broke through the dream. "Dani. Come on... wake up."

As she clawed her way groggily back into consciousness, she was chagrined to once again find her knee tucked between Dean's thighs, and her foot wrapped around his bottom shin. This time grateful for the darkness, she loosened her fingers from their death grip on his t-shirt and pulled her face from his neck, beyond embarrassed. He'd probably woken her because she was crushing his sore leg for _real _this time and-

"Dani, you awake?"

"Uh, yeah... yeah I am." She carefully began to remove her legs from around his and was about to apologize again when she felt something strange at her feet. "Why are my feet getting wet?"

She heard a deep rumbling and realized a thunderstorm was raging outside the cave. Dean scrambled to sit up and she followed suit, reaching for the flashlight.

"I didn't notice before, but I'm guessing we're on an incline; we're lower down here than the ground by the cave-in. The storm is probably causing some flash flooding outside in the desert and it's leaking in here."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Dean shone the flashlight towards the caved-in area but they couldn't see much from that distance. The beam of light revealed a tiny river of water moving past their location and further into the cave. Dean pursed his lips in thought.

"I wonder if this could be the answer..." He stood up slowly and started to limp towards the pile of rubble.

Dani followed him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if there's enough water sloshing down outside, it may push some of this pile of dirt and rocks away."

"Wow, you think so?" She quickened her pace and moved slightly ahead of him.

"We'll know in a minute."

* * *

_Now what?_

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Ms. Archer?"

Sam produced the barest hint of a smile, albeit one laced with distrust. There was a dark-haired man he'd never seen before behind her leaning on a silver Mercedes SL550. It was a nice car, but something about the unrelenting cold gleam in this woman's eyes made him long for the safety of the old black Impala... and the multitude of weapons in its trunk.

Drew felt once again bemused at the fact that Sam seemed less than impressed with her. And intrigued.

"Well for one, you could at least try to appear a little more grateful that I got you out of jail."

Sam's brows furrowed. "You did? Why?"

"Because I think we need each other." She smiled enticingly, but again all Sam felt was wariness.

"How so?"

"Well, obviously I need you to find my sister, and you need me to find your brother. We're after the same thing, so it only makes sense that we work together."

Sam eyed the man behind Drew briefly before his gaze returned to her. He didn't attempt to hide his skepticism. "So you no longer think that my brother and I are somehow involved in your sister's kidnapping?"

One side of her mouth twitched up. "To be honest, I'm still undecided as to just what exactly your involvement really is... But at this point I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt if it helps to find Dani."

Sam's face remained impassive. "So what exactly are you proposing here?"

"Don't look so concerned, Sam." With a seductive smile, Drew put a hand on her hip and stared knowingly at the young man before her. "And when I'm proposing, you'll know it."

* * *

"Well, we're definitely dirtier, but I don't know if we're any better off." Dean stared at the fruits of their labours, unimpressed. "I don't think a squirrel could fit through that pitiful excuse for an opening."

Dani dipped her muddy hands in the tiny new stream working its way along the side of the cave. "Well, it's a start. What do you say we eat something and come back and see what else we can accomplish?" She reached her arms above her head to re-adjust her wet ponytail.

Dean's eyes slid from her damp, dirt-spattered throat down to her soaked and muddy tank top, her breasts straining outward enticingly thanks to her current posture. He licked his lips, barely noticing the taste of dirt that followed, but all too aware of the pulsing sensation beginning down around his-

"Dean?"

His eyes flew back to Dani's in confusion. "Huh?"

She looked at him strangely. "Food break?"

He wiped a hand across his face and but really only managed to smear the mud more. "Oh. Yeah. Let's do it." He turned suddenly and started limping back towards the food while Dani watched him with mild surprise.

_What did I just miss there?_

She caught up with him just as he lowered himself to the ground and started rifling through the bag. A minute ago she'd seen a strange glitter in his glance as he'd stared at her, seemingly not hearing what she was saying. She's found the emotions emanating from him indecipherable and confusing. It had left her more than a little unsettled... and slightly aroused.

But now she felt as though she was being snubbed.

"Uh, so... what are our food options today?"

He began to turn around to reply, saw her nipples stretching against her tank top and quickly turned back towards the duffle bag. "Uh... we have... um... more tuna, I guess."

Becoming uncomfortable now, Dani was about to speak up when suddenly Dean picked up his jacket from the ground and passed it to her, mumbling "Here... you might want to put this on," his glance never raising to hers. She took the jacket, momentarily confused.

And then she looked down at herself.

Her shirt was soaked through, as was the thin white bra she had on underneath it. A hint of rose from her fully erect nipples was easily visible from her perspective, so she could imagine very little was left to the imagination from straight on. She could feel the blush creep up all the way from her toes to the roots of her hair as she slid her arms quickly into the jacket and crossed her arms self-consciously across her chest. She stared at the ground uncomfortbaly now too. "Uh, thanks."

Then Dean started laughing and she looked up at him, bemused. "What?"

He shook his head, still laughing. "It's just... It's not like me to pass up on a wet t-shirt contest."

She tried to look appalled but suddenly she was laughing as well. She was also relieved the tension of the previous few minutes was gone. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up. Don't be surprised if the next time you wake up your pants are missing. I may need to remove them to attend that leg wound..."

Dean reached for the button on his mud splattered jeans. "Hey, I'll take 'em off right now if you like. I don't need an excuse!"

She put her hands up in a warding-off gesture, laughing. "Duly noted. But please, not now."

He gave her that flirty smile. "Maybe later then."

She laughed even harder when he had the audacity to wink at her like a playboy. But deep down she had to admit that the idea was more than a little tantalizing.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A.N.:**_ Just a reminder- this story takes place about halfway through season 2. The finale hasn't happened yet, and they're not on the Fed's most wanted list yet. Sorry for the long delay between chapters but it can't be helped at the moment...

* * *

"Well, that was incredibly... unsatisfying."

Dani laughed lightly. "Still, I'm sure these are the finest granola bars to be had in all the land. And maybe we can spice them up with some of this pile of salt and pepper?"

Dean grinned. "I think we better save those for a special occasion." He sighed heavily. "I never thought I'd be dreaming of all the crap I eat when we're on the road- things that generally need to be microwaved before eaten. Where's a 7-Eleven when you need one?"

She nodded her agreement. "I'd give up my next year's tuition for a hot dog right now."

"A woman after my own heart."

And therein lay the problem: the more time Dean spent with Dani, the more he realized he couldn't find a damned thing wrong with her.

It was true enough that he usually found it easy to be attracted to the opposite sex when the situation arose, but this was getting out of hand. He liked her more and more with every passing moment, despite the fact that she was so far out of his league it wasn't even funny. Normally, he didn't care about status when it came to his... female interactions. But when he looked at Dani, he didn't immediately think "excellent one-night stand candidate", and that never boded well- just look at how things had turned out with Cassie. Yeah, there was no doubt in his mind: He shouldn't even be _considering_ the idea. But he couldn't seem to help himself.

Especially when he seemed to keep waking up with Dani snuggled up against him every morning.

_Boyfriend_._ She has a boyfriend_. _Focus on that fact and don't let go_. He figured the guy that snagged Danielle Archer would have to be quite the catch. He was probably some soon-to-be hotshit rich lawyer, or a doctor like herself; someone on her level, anyway.

But the more he imagined this guy in his head, the more incensed he felt at the thought of Dani with someone else. He quickly realized that maybe this hadn't been the best strategy for him to utilize in trying to lessen his attraction to her. Afterall, he'd never been one to shy away from a little healthy competition- especially rich, probably super smart, high-class competition. If anything, those were his favourite asses to kick. And he was pretty sure he could out-streetsmart any elitist assho-

"Dean?"

Knocked from his internal battle against unknown foes, Dean's eyes looked a little sharper than usual when he responded. "Yeah?"

"You OK?" She wasn't sure what had come over him, but she was sure he wasn't giving off these aggressive vibes over some lousey granola bars.

"Uh, yeah... Yeah, I'm good. Just... just thinking about some stuff." _Man_,_ am I that easy to read?_

"So I gathered. You seemed a little... intense. You sure you're alright?"

He leaned back and exhaled noisily. "Yeah, everything's cool. Don't worry. I was just thinking about an unresolved... _case_. Sorry."

She passed him a bottle of water, grinning. "Here, maybe this will get that bad taste out of your mouth."

He laughed and accepted the bottle with a shake of the head. "Seems to me you're a little too perceptive, Miss Archer. Stop reading me so well, you're making me nervous."

It was just a joke, but Dani looked more than a little uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Hey, I'm just kidding with you. Don't look so serious."

She smiled awkwardly, but he could tell it was mostly for his benefit. While he was wondering what he'd said to make her uneasy, she stood up and reached for the flashlight. "You ready to take another shot at digging our way out of here? Maybe the storm has loosened off some more dirt...?"

Her smile was a little too bright, but Dean didn't think it was wise to push her just then. Something had clearly unsettled her, and he didn't want to make it worse. In truth, they just didn't have the time to worry too much about "feelings" at the moment. Dani was right: if the storm had helped them at all, they needed to take advantage of the chance before the sun came out and resealed everything into a hard, dried-mud wall.

He stood up slowly, his leg a little stiff.

"Lead the way, doctor."

* * *

"No, thank you. I'd rather just stay in a hotel."

"It's really not an imposition, Sam. In fact I-"

"_No thank you_." Sam waved her off as he began to head down the block towards where they'd left the Impala, wondering when it was that she'd decided they were on a first-name basis. "You have my cell number and I have yours. I'm going to get settled and see what I can sort out from the information you've given me."

Drew sat steaming in the passenger seat beside her sister's fiance, Jack, but she somehow managed to hold her temper... at least outwardly. Jack started the car and they pulled away from the curb. Drew rolled down her window as they were passing Sam. "OK, fine. I'll let you know if I come up with anything."

Jack was about to speed up when they both noticed that Sam had stopped suddenly on the sidewalk and was staring blindly into the distance. Drew was sure she recognized that look... She'd seen it on her sister's face numerous times, including the day that she'd disappeared.

"Sam? Are you OK?"

He finally turned around to face her a moment later, and she felt a shiver slip down her spine at the intense but somewhat unfocused look on his face as he asked, "What do you know about the desert around Albuquerque?" He furrowed his brows as if he was remembering something. "Are there... _caves_?"

Drew swallowed in a suddenly dry mouth but spoke casually. "I don't know. I mean, yes- there are a lot of caves, but I don't know much about them, personally. Why?"

Sam considered his answer carefully and then turned back towards his car, trying to respond offhandedly over his shoulder. "No reason. I'm just trying to consider the most likely places around Albuquerque to hide out or hold someone captive. The caves would probably fit that bill, don't you think?"

"Yeah... yeah, maybe. I just hope the police are wrong about-"

"I don't care what the police told you. Just because there was no ransom demand, it doesn't mean they aren't still alive. My brother's a survivor. And if yours sister is with him, then she's in good hands. We'll find them."

She didn't bother to respond since Sam had already started moving away. But after his weird little performance, Drew began to suspect something:

Was Sam Corbett a_ seer?_

* * *

"I definitely think this seems to have loosened off a bit."

Breathing heavily with the effort, Dani managed to force some more mud and rocks away from the small hole she'd been working on. Dean clambered to her side and began helping her, even though they were both becoming exhausted with their efforts.

Exhausted and disappointed.

Despite her hopeful comment, neither of them had much hope of breaking through. They'd been at it forever and weren't making much progress. The only bright spot was that keeping busy and focused on the task at hand had kept Dani from worrying that Dean might discover her strange abilities.

And then things went downhill, literally.

Tired and distracted, Dani overshot the mark on one of her digs and instantly found herself sliding down the slick mound of mud towards the cave floor. Dean grabbed for her as she slid past him but missed, and succeeded only in sending himself sliding after her.

Landing with a grunt, Dani didn't move for a second, uninjured but embarrassed. When Dean splashed to a halt beside her, quickly followed by the flashlight, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As she slowly raised herself to a sitting position, Dean made the choice easy.

"Jesus fucking christ! I am so sick of dirt and rocks and this goddamned cave. When I find the son of a bitch who stuck us in here-"

Her laughter erupted so suddenly that she almost shocked herself. Dean's brows went up in amazement. Aware of his shocked gaze, she tried to rein herself in, worried she might piss him off. "Oh, Dean... I'm sorry... It's just... I..."

And then the tears started to squeeze out of her clenched eyelids as another bout of laughter overwhelmed her. Dean watched her, still amazed, and wondered if maybe she was in shock. But the more he watched her sitting there in a mud puddle, holding her sides and laughing uncontrollably, the more amused he became. And then he was laughing himself.

He moved closer but inadvertantly splashed her some more. "Oh... sorry." But then he was laughing harder when he realized she was pretty much soaked anyway. One little splash didn't really make a difference.

Dani, it seemed, disagreed.

"Hey!" She splashed some muddy water in his direction, an impish sparkle in her eyes.

"Oh no... No. You did _not _just splash me."

He crawled menacingly towards her, scooping up a little mud en route. She squealed between giggles and tried to crawl away but Dean managed to get a hold of her foot and he held her in place. They both laughed in gasps as they fought each other. And just when Dani had finally managed to clear the puddle and thought she was homefree, she suddenly felt hands grasp both her ankles and begin to roll her around onto her back and drag her back. She screamed in outrage and started laughing even harder. Dean sputtered laughter between panting breaths. She was putting up a solid defense... but he was stronger.

With a good yank, she was suddenly beneath him, and he had her arms pinned over her head with one hand. His good leg lay over hers to keep them from flailing about. With his free hand, he scooped up a little more mud and held it threateningly over her face while she squirmed in panic.

"You don't want to do this, Dean. I'll make you pay. Seriously."

His smile grew wider. "_Promise_?"

Her face instantly heated up and she wriggled hopelessly again, trying to get free.

Dean merely tightened his hold. "Uh uh... Be careful. You don't want to hit my bad leg."

Dani stopped moving, her protective instincts kicking in automatically. And then she came to her senses. "Hey wait a min-"

She stopped talking and even breathing as Dean squeezed some of the mud through his fingers and his hand moved closer to her face.

"_Dean_... Come on... _Please_..."

He couldn't deny that having her trapped beneath him and saying "please" was turning him on something fierce, but he stayed on target. "Sorry, beautiful... I'm just going to perform a little plastic surgery here."

She gave one last struggle... and then shut her eyes tight as she felt mud being spread across her... _forehead_? She started giggling again. "What in the name of Pete are you doing to me?"

"_Shhhhh_. I'm not... quite... done..." Finally, she could no longer feel him touching her face and she peeked cautiously up at him.

Dean was grinning smugly at his artwork. "Man, I wish I had my camera-phone on me. I've outdone myself."

"What have you done to me? If there's a Playboy Bunny on my forehead, so help me god..."

Dean looked pensive for a moment. "Actually, that's not a bad id-"

Dani burst out laughing. "Dean!"

He grinned boyishly. "What?"

She shook her head and then gave her hands a tentative flex where they were still being held over her head, but Dean only tightened his grip. "Uh uh... You have to prove you can behave before I let you go. And so back to my creation..." He pursed his lips, _hemming_ and _hawwing_ a moment before nodding again. "Yep, it's perfect. You are now a failry decent tribute to Led Zeppelin, darlin'. '_ZoSo_' is simple, and yet it represents so many time-honoured rock n' roll traditions."

She stared up at him in amazement, but the laughter bubbled over again. "Dean Winchester, you're incorrigible."

The smile grew bigger. "You know, I used to see that word a lot on my report cards when I was a kid. It means 'devilishly handsome', right?"

She laughed, but also struggled a bit to remind him that she wasn't happy being pinned down. "Normally I might agree, but right now you're a filthy mess."

He tried to look suitably affronted. "Whatever. At least I don't have '_ZoSo_' written in mud on my forehead."

"You _could_. Just give me a chance."

"Anyway, you should be honoured-"

"Yeah, whatever! What's it gonna take to get you to let me go, here?"

"Whaddaya got?" Again, the cheekiest of grins spread across his face.

"Come closer and I'll show you."

His brows went up. "Closer?"

"Yes, c_loser_."

Deep down he knew it was a set-up, but his heart sped up a little all the same. "Closer _how?_"

"I'll let you figure that out." Now it was Dani's grin that was cheeky.

Suspicious but intrigued beyond common sense, he lowered himself closer to her body, his face nearing hers. "Like _this_?"

"_Uh huh_." She'd been aiming for 'smokey' but feared her voice had merely sounded groggy. Her heart was beating erratically now too. Either way, Dean didn't seem to notice as warm, brown eyes stared into big, deep green ones. One arm still held her pinned, but as his face drew to within a mere inch or so from hers, his leg shifted slightly from on top of hers... and then she made her move.

Distracted by her smouldering stare, Dean didn't realize what was happening right away. But as her knee slowly rose to within "killing" distance of his privates, he began to break free from her spell. "Hey now... wait a minute..."

He tried to close his legs together but it was too late- her knee was already situated exactly where she needed it to be. She smiled up at him. "So, what do you say we strike up a little bargain here?" She nudged her knee ever-so-slightly upward to make her point.

After flinching, he took one look at her smug, mud-tattooed face and burst out laughing. He released her hands without preamble and rested himself beside her on his elbow. "Hey, let's just forget it. You win; I give. I don't bargain when the jewels are involved."

Dani laughed, pleased with herself. She pulled her arms back down from over her head and started to rub at her wrists as she sat up.

"Hey... I didn't hurt you did I?"

Dean was looking at her wrists with concern and her heart lept into her throat. God, there was just so much going on with this guy: strong, brave, sexy, funny... and incredibly sweet. She looked away just as his gaze sought hers or he might have seen the uncontrollable flash of desire in her eyes. She tried to divert catastrophe with more horseplay.

"Yeah, you _did_. And now you will suffer the consequences." She quickly scooped up some mud but before she could drop it on his head like she'd intended, she was once again laying on her back, this time with Dean pressed into her, his elbows resting on either side of her head.

"You gotta move faster than that if you want to get _me_, sweetheart." He laughed softly at her outrage.

"You're truly unbelievable, you know that?" She tried to move from underneath him, but the best she got out was a mild wiggle. Dean felt his hips tighten immediately where she rubbed against him and he fought back a gasp as Dani went on, oblivious of his arousal. "If we ever get out of here, I swear to god I'm going to..." She broke briefly off when her eyes met his. "... have you...uh... brought up on..." She was finding it difficult to concentrate while he looked at her like that. "... brought up... on, um... charges of... of abuse." She swallowed in a throat that felt as though it was lined with thick cardboard.

Dean was having an equally difficult time focusing anywhere but on her upturned face. "Yeah, I... uh..."

Of their own volition, his fingers trailed across her cheek and she was lost. Pushing upward slightly, her lips met his as they descended and everything else disappeared.

The cave, the water, the mud... all gone.


	11. Chapter 11

**_A.N._ **Thanks for all the reviews, everyone. I really appreciate it. :D

* * *

Sam scoured the map hoping something would jump out at him. _Anything_.

The girl had definitely been in some sort of cave, and that seemed even more likely when you looked at the area outside Albuquerque. The problem was, there were _a lot_ of caves in New Mexico. Maybe hundreds just around Albuquerque itself.

And no matter how long he stared at it, the map just wasn't speaking to him.

Sam rubbed his tired eyes and headed back to his laptop. He was going to try to cross-reference some of the routes he'd seen on the map- everything from highways to obscure access roads. Goat paths, if he could find any. He would have to narrow the list down to some more likely candidates or he might find himself out there looking forever.

He desperately wished he had a more concrete reason to give Drew Archer for wanting to search the caves than a mere "hunch"- she'd probably be able to afford a sizeable force of searchers for their cause. As it was she had mostly looked confused and more than a little skeptical at the cave idea. Still, he couldn't exactly tell her he had a vision that her sister was in a cave somewhere.

He frowned as he recalled the images that had flashed through his mind earlier. The girl had definitely been in trouble when he'd seen her. And to make things even more disconcerting, there had been no sign of Dean at all.

He looked over at the second bed in the motel room. He had rented a double partly out of habit, and partly out of a strong desire to have his brother back safe and sound.

Taking a deep breath, Sam pulled up Google on his laptop and got to work.

* * *

The funny thing was, the kiss alternated between overwhelmingly passionate and somewhat comically awkward.

Right off the bat, Dani's stomach was quavering and points lower down were beyond the tingling phase- they were actually vibrating. The rest of her seemed to want to wrap itself around the hard body pressed against her until the world ended. The things his mouth was doing to her...

She hadn't dated _that _many guys, but she was no wallflower and she could safely say she'd never felt a kiss like this one before. If her brain had been able to focus at that moment, it would certainly have been impressed to have found a handsome guy whose sparkling eyes, sexy smiles, and flirtatious words made promises that his lips could actually keep. And then some.

She moaned softly into his mouth and Dean felt himself growing stiff. It was all he could do to keep from ripping off her wet clothes and turning that moan into a full-throated scream of pleasure. But he'd only just gotten a taste of her and he definitely didn't want to scare her off. She may have been responding whole-heartedly to him, but he still sensed he'd have to take it slow with her. And strangely enough, he didn't want to rush things with her anyway; he had a feeling the affection of Danielle Archer would be worth the wait. But right now, he just really wanted to touch her, to feel her close.

Moving slightly to the side, he supported himself against her with one arm while the other reached around to slide up her back and pull her tighter to him. His hand slid over the back of a tank top that could now pretty much claim second-skin status thanks to all the mud and water she'd been splashing in, and he moaned himself. The heat emanating from her skin through her tank top... She was practically on fire.

Sudden coughing made Dean pull back, and he watched as she wiped mud from the corner of her lip, embarrassed. He laughed lightly and ran his fingers through the hair that had fallen damply over her forehead. And then he realized he was inadvertantly smudging the mud tatoo he'd given her earlier, causing him to smile wider. Dani was mesmerized by the handsome sight.

"Damn, I just ruined my work of art."

Her eyes sparkled irresistably as she laughed and he leaned back in to kiss her again, but more softly this time. Once again, a thrilling, erotic energy tripped through her body and she pressed herself closer against him... and knocked his sore shin with her foot. She had to give him credit- he barely flinched and gave only the slightest of pained moans into her lips. She pulled her lips away from his and reached a hand up to his cheek, her eyes full of concern. "Oh Dean... I'm sorry. Are you-"

"Never been better." A seductive smile crossed his lips as he turned his head and kissed her palm. The fluttering wings in her chest sped up as his face dipped down towards hers again.

Caught up in the kiss, and with Dean's hands moving tantalizingly across her body, she once again wondered how it could be that she'd never felt sensations like these before. How was that possible?

And yet here she was, trapped in a cave of all places, having her body taken to new, amazing places by just a few kisses and caresses... If she'd been asked a week ago if she could have imagined finding this sort of excitement at the hands of a complete stranger she would have-

_A complete stranger_.

The words reverberated through her brain, slowly dislodging the aroused fog that had taken root there.

_What the hell am I doing_?!!

As irresistable as he was, the man she was currently locked in an intimate embrace with was basically an unknown entity to her. She knew nothing about him except what he'd told her. This was madness... and totally unlike her. Drew was the one who threw her sexuality around like a weapon, bedding random men whenever the urge took her. Dani was the one who played it safe. _Always_.

Dean felt the change come over her and he pulled back, looking her in the eyes. "You OK? What's wrong?

She was unsure of what to say or do now. "Um... I..." She pulled carefully away from him and pushed up into a sitting position. "Dean, I'm sorry... I can't do this. We shouldn't be doing this."

Dean eyed her speculatively for a moment and then sat up himself. "Yeah, I guess." He ran a hand awkwardly across the top of his hair. "I guess your boyfriend probably wouldn't appreciate this."

_Jack_.

She had completely forgotten about Jack. And this was probably why Dean mentioning him right now actually irked her somewhat- She was instantly ashamed that she wasn't the one who'd thought of him first. In fact, she hadn't even thought about him _once_ in the last couple of days, let alone when she'd been rolling around in the arms of another man.

_So, now I'm a cheater_. _Excellent_.

Seriously, what the hell had come over her? She sighed in annoyance. "Uh, no... he probably wouldn't appreciate it, I guess."

"You _guess_? If I was your boyfriend, I'd be kicking my ass right now." Then he looked bemused. "Um, you know what I mean."

She wanted to laugh but her disappointment in herself was depressing her at the moment. "Yeah, I get what you mean."

The truth was, in her mind she was already broken up with Jack. It was merely a matter of circumstance that he wasn't aware of the fact yet. And deep down, other than a blow to his ego she didn't really think he'd be that upset in the long run. He seemed so unaware of her half the time, she figured she'd actually be doing him a favour by removing an unnecessary distraction from his life- _her_. This made her feel a little better, but not much. You still shouldn't cheat on your boyfriend based on a technicality.

She let out a deep breath, still trying to convince herself otherwise. "Honestly, I don't think Jack would notice anything I do these days. And truth be told, I stopped caring if he notices quite a while ago. I was actually... I had been planning on breaking up with him when I got back to Boston."

Dean risked a small smile. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

She smirked back. "Nope. And anyway, somehow I don't take you as the type of guy to be too worried about a girl's boyfriend, especially if the girl is willing." She realized her mistake a split-second after she'd said the words. And not surprisingly, Dean's brows went up in amazement.

"Uh, _yeah_. I guess that's the kind of guy I am, right?"

Too ashamed of her catty remarks to even try to back-paddle for a moment, her hesitation was all Dean needed. "OK then. If you need me, I'll be getting something to eat."

"Dean, I..." As the flashlight disappeared with Dean down the cave, she looked down at the shadows where her feet were barely visible. Only the speckled light emitted from the cracks in the wall illuminated her now.

* * *

"They found two of the security guards crashed north of the city, on I-25-"

"I-25?" Sam's fingers flew over his map and found the highway. "How far?"

"Apparently just a few miles south of Bernalillo, but Sam I can-"

"I'm heading out there now. I'll meet you there, if you're going."

"The police told me there was no need to-"

"Suit yourself. Bye."

If Jack hadn't been standing beside her with a questioning look on his handsome face, she would have hurled her cell phone across the room in fury. She'd had about enough of Sam Corbett not listening to her. Sooner rather than later, she was planning on _making _him listen...

If it was the last thing she did.

* * *

"This stretch of pavement is what has me a bit confounded." 

Sam was a little surprised at how freely this officer seemed to be dishing out information on the crash, but he wasn't about to start complaining. He squatted beside the man as he looked more closely at the road. "Confounded? How so?"

Officer Dalton squinted off towards the broken railing where the doomed car had crashed through, and then he stood up. Sam followed suit and waited patiently for the man to explain. One thing he'd learned about southern cops was that they didn't like to be rushed.

"Well, let's look at it like this: You're flying along the highway and suddenly you find yourself veering sharply off the road and heading for the edge of a pretty steep drop. What's the first thing you do, besides shit yourself?"

Sam smirked at the image and then looked back towards the edge of the highway. "Um... I don't know..." He looked back at the pavement for a moment before it occured to him. "Wait a minute. I'd _brake_." He looked back at the road again. "I'd be standing on the brakes and turning the wheel in the other direction for all I was worth."

The cop nodded, smiling slightly. "Yup." He pointed back at the stretch of pavement. "So where are the skidmarks?"

* * *

"Do you want some water?"

Dean nodded and accepted the bottle from her outstretched hands. "Thanks."

It was the first thing he'd said in 10 minutes and she wondered if she should risk attempting an apology now. She couldn't believe that she'd been such an idiot. In addition to the fact that she had a boyfriend, _she'd_ been the one who snuggled into him every night, not to mention the dreams... If anyone was guilty of loose behaviour, it was her. Dean had actually been a perfect gentleman.

The words of regret had been running over and over in her mind since he'd walked away from her, but now they were just a tangled mess in her head. She grasped onto the only part that stood out: "Dean, I'm so sorry for what I said. I really don't... I really don't think of you that way. I mean, I don't even _know_ you, so how could I... I'm just really, really sorry."

He watched her shifting uncomfortably and once she'd finished speaking, he gave her a half-smile.

"It's OK, Dani. Really. The more I started to think about it... Well, you're pretty much right. I am that guy." He looked at her earnestly. "Or at least I have been that guy before." He passed her back the bottle of water and then sat back on his elbows. He didn't think it was necessary to mention that what had hurt him slightly was the fact that he hadn't wanted to be that guy with _her_.

"So, anyway, don't worry about it."

"Yeah, but Dean... I really don't-"

"I mean it. Don't worry about it."

Dani didn't need her special skills to recognize that he wanted to move on, so she did. But she still felt bummed that she'd said something she really didn't mean in a moment of crankiness. At some point, she was going to make it up to him somehow.

Dean yawned and ran his hands unconsciously down his arms and Dani felt a shiver herself. The sun was going down and they were both soaked. This was going to be a cold one. She grabbed the blanket and threw it to Dean.

"I'm going to go get your jacket. I left it up near the top of the pile. Maybe you can find something to set on fire?"

Dean laughed. "I wonder if salt and pepper packets make good kindling?"

She smiled. "One way to find out."

She grabbed the flashlight and moved back towards the covered entrance. She stared at the place in the dirt where she and Dean had been rolling around and smirked. That was the most exciting encounter she'd ever had and she'd blown it in a stupid panic. It seemed like she had nothing but regrets these days.

Sighing yet again, she started to climb up the pile of dirt and rocks towards Dean's jacket.

It seemed like the rain was finally easing off outside, at least. The stream of water running down from the cracks seemed to be lessening as well. As she grabbed the jacket, she worried that the next day's sun would dry the mud and seal them in even more tightly than before-

Suddenly, the rock walls seemed to mutate and she was staring at a scene somewhere beyond the cave. It was either early morning or late afternoon, and the same dark-haired man was hurrying across a somewhat barren landscape towards some old, low stone walls. They seemed awfully familiar to her, but she couldn't quite remember where she'd seen them before. And both the man and the walls were gone, leaving her staring dazedly at the top of the sealed cave entrance.

She felt another shiver cross her skin and she tried to pull one of the jacket sleeves on but she felt a bit dizzy, probably thanks to the sudden vision. She pulled her other arm through, but had to reach out to keep herself from toppling over as another wave of dizziness overtook her.

The loud cracking noise came just after her hand landed on the wall... and then she was falling into nowhere.


	12. Chapter 12

Dean heard the crashing of rocks and jumped up, ignoring the protest from his shin.

When he reached what had formerly been the sealed entrance, he was surprised to see waning light from the outside world now lighting his way as he scrambled up the pile of rocks. "Dani?" He was almost to the large, gaping hole and she was nowhere to be seen. "_Dani?!!!_"

Finally reaching the opening, he moved quickly outside fearing the worst. He continued calling her name as his eyes roamed the darkening landscape.

He felt very little relief when he finally spotted her lying in a heap at the bottom of the incline below the cave.

As he reached her, his heart beat nervously- she was laying face down. Dropping down beside her, he tentatively touched her shoulder. "Dani? Can you hear me?" He began to carefully turn her over, desperately hoping she hadn't broken her neck or something. "Come on, Dani. Talk to me." He moved her dripping hair out of her face and then gently cupped her head and neck as he slid himself under her, cradling her in his arms. "Come on now. Open those big brown eyes for me."

He stroked her cheek softly, finding some comfort in the fact that she was still breathing at least. She had some scrapes and blood on her cheek, but there were no major gashes that he could see. As for the rest of her...

The rain had tapered off almost completely, leaving them surrounded in a cool mist. Dean stared down at the unconscious woman in his arms helplessly.

_What the hell am I gonna do now?_

* * *

With the wet conditions and the weakening daylight, the police had almost been unable to haul the crashed vehicle up the steep embankment, but they had finally managed it.

The bodies had been removed by the coroner earlier and unfortunately Sam hadn't gotten a chance to see them. Officer Dalton was friendly, but not _that_ friendly. All he knew for sure was that they'd been badly burned and nearly unrecognizable from the sounds of it. One man's nametag had actually burned into his flesh or they might never have known who had been in the car.

Before they loaded the vehicle onto the back of the trailer for the crime scene analysts, the supervisor took a quick look through the vehicle. As he approached Office Dalton at Sam's side, he held up a small plastic item contained in a baggie.

Dalton squinted to read the charred letters. "David Meyers. Yep, that's the other security guard. Looks like we were right."

Sam nodded absently. They had confirmed the "who", but they still didn't know the "why".

Or more importantly, the "_where_".

Sam remembered the strange landscape from his last vision and chewed his lip, trying to find an angle that would help him get the info he needed without looking suspicious.

"Listen, Officer... I was wondering if maybe you could help me with something. I, uh... I saw a picture somewhere of this old ruin, and I was wondering if I described it to you, you might know the one I'm talking about?"

"Well, there are a lot of those around here, but I'll give it my best shot." He eyed Sam a little more warily than before. "Does this have something to do with the missing person's? You're not holding back information from me now, are you son?"

Sam reached deep and pulled out his best "puppy dog" stare, as Dean annoyingly called it. "No sir, I'm not. I just... I've had this image in my head and it's been bugging me." At least that much was true. "I was about to leave you to your investigation, but I thought I might draw on your knowledge of the area while I had a chance. I figure you're probably something of an expert." Complimentary, but not overly so; Sam knew the value of understatement.

Dalton still thought it was a strange question to be asking just then, but he thought the guy seemed decent enough and decided to indulge him. Besides, he figured kids today had a short attention span and he figured this young fella was no exception.

"OK. Shoot."

* * *

Dean moved the jacket so it covered Dani a little better. It was pretty chilly now that they were outside the shelter of the cave, and he wanted to try to keep her damp body as warm as possible.

He looked skeptically up at the opening to the cave and wondered if maybe he should take her back inside where there was at least some protection from the elements, but the idea of moving an injured woman was daunting enough without the added worry of getting trapped in there again.

He was still weighing the pros and cons when he felt her head move ever-so-slightly against his chest. And then she sighed.

"Dani? Can you hear me?" He tilted his head so that he could stare into her face. She moved her head again, and this time he could tell she was trying to open her eyes. "Come on, sweetheart... open your eyes. You can do it."

She moaned and then grimaced as she moved her head again. Then her eyes fluttered open. It was almost dark and she coul barely see his face above her. "Dean?"

"Yeah... Yeah, it's me." He exhaled noisily and his arms tightened around her just a little bit. "You don't know how relieved I am that you're OK... You are OK, aren't you?"

As she listened to the smile in his voice switch to concern, she suddenly had the weird sense that everything was going to be OK.

She moved slightly, and thankfully, other than a few stinging spots on her face and some new aches and pains throughout her body, nothing felt broken and she said a silent prayer of thanks. She supposed it was possible she had a concussion, but she'd just have to worry about that later.

She could sense Dean fretting above her and she smiled slightly in the darkness. "Dean, there is one thing."

"Yeah? What?" He sounded concerned again.

"What does _ZoSo_ mean?"

There was a quiet moment and then Dani could feel his chest moving beneath her as he started to laugh.

"Dani, Dani, Dani... You amaze me." He laughed some more.

She laughed as well. "It's true. I'm amazing."

"That's not what I meant. I'm amazed you don't know what _ZoSo_ means. If you don't know your Led Zeppelin, I'm not sure we can continue to associate."

She giggled and tried to sit up. Dean helped her, keeping his arms around her. "Easy. You must be dizzy after that fall."

She didn't resist the urge to lean back into his chest again and he held her close. She enjoyed the warm hardness of him while she gingerly touched her face, feeling the scrapes. "Hmf. I think it was more of a _roll _than a fall." She let her shoulders sag. "I feel like someone whacked me all over with a stick."

"I was thinking I should go back into the cave and get the supplies we'll need. You could probably use some Tylenol or something out of the first aid kit, I'm betting."

She finally tried to sit up on her own, but Dean continued to support her and she was more than a little grateful. For some reason though, she didn't want him to see how much her fall had shaken her. She gave him her best smirk. "Unbelievable. After all I've done to get us out of there and you want to go back in?"

He grinned, shaking his head. "Yeah, I know. I owe you one." And then she was momentarily surprised when he looked closely into her eyes and stroked her cheek softly. "I do like a woman who's willing to take one for the team."

Before she had time to do more than gulp, he'd made sure his jacket was firmly around her and then stood up. "I'll be quick."

"Just be careful."

Big smile. "When you're as skilled as me, careful doesn't play into it."

She watched his progress back up the rocks nervously, only turning away once he'd disappeared back into the cave. She whispered softly to herself.

"Hurry back, Dean."

* * *

****

****

**_A.N.:_** Sorry- it was a short one, but I just wanted to get a chapter out there since it's been so long since I posted. Hopefully I get another one up soon!


	13. Chapter 13

Despite Dean's heavy jacket, Dani was shivering while she waited for him to re-emerge from the cave.

And waited.

Her damp rear-end felt cold as she sat on a big rock under a tree. It had been the only reasonably dry place she could locate without moving too far from the cave. Patience had never been one of her strong points, so when her nerves started to contribute to her tension she finally got up and moved over to the base of the cave-in. "Dean?"

No response.

Maybe he couldn't hear her. She moved up a little, closer to the opening. "Dean? Hello?"

She continued up towards the hole. "Dean?!!! What's tak-"

Dean's head suddenly appeared out of the opening and she jumped back, startled. Staying true to her form of late, she slipped on a loose rock and fell hard on her butt. "_Ouch_. Damn!"

Dean shook his head as he moved towards her. "Jesus. You just can't seem to get a break, can you?" He dropped the duffle bag and reached down to help her up but she was already pushing herself off the ground, cursing all the while.

"Son of a… Hey- wait. We may have gotten a bit of a break after all. Look what I tripped over." With a click she flicked on the re-discovered flashlight.

"_Right on_. I grabbed the candles, but they were going to be a pain in the ass to walk with, even with the rain gone." He looked up to the surprisingly clear sky above him, seeming to ponder the quickly appearing stars. "Although... I'm starting to think maybe you should keep falling down. We seem to get lucky every time."

He laughed while he watched her rub her tender butt and glare at him through the flashlight beam. Her expression was a billboard for impatience."Oh yeah? Well how about _you_ take over that duty for a while? I'm tired of playing the the good luck klutz."

Dean slung an arm over her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze, smiling. When he spoke, it was in a Barry White baritone. "Anything for a lady."

She couldn't help but laugh again- the guy was definitely a charmer. And it warmed her heart to think that he didn't seem to be holding a grudge about what she'd said earlier. In fact, he seemed to be back to his flirtatious ways, and even if that was just some sort of coping mechanism he had, she was more than willing to go along with it. She was surprised to find herself immensely relieved... and then she felt totally undeserving. But whatever- his banter had somehow kept this whole awful situation from being even more terrible and she was truly grateful to him.

His voice broke into her thoughts. "So… What now? Judging by your reaction to me heading back into the cave earlier, I'm thinking you don't want to take shelter from the night in there." He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and looked at her in question.

She shook her head decidedly in the negative. "No, I really don't want to go back in there. What if there was another cave in?"

He merely looked pensive, not responding right away.

"Dean? What are you thinking?"

He looked back at their former prison, chewing the inside of his lip in thought. "Well, I've actually been wondering… Just a sec." Taking the flashlight he started to move around the cave, above and below. Dani waited below, uncertain what he was trying to determine, but certain she wasn't ready to go back inside no matter what he discovered.

After a lot of trudging around, he finally returned to her. "That's interesting."

"What?"

"There's no sign of any vehicles up there. Not above or around the cave entrance."

"Yeah, I wouldn't think so. I haven't noticed a road around here. Although I guess there could be one near by... if we're lucky."

He nodded, but he didn't seem that interested in her comments. "And there are no tool or shovel marks. No signs of explosives."

"OK?" She really wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Not a single footprint." He seemed to be waiting for her to catch up with him, but she still didn't understand.

"I'm not sure I know what you're getting at."

Dean suddenly missed his brother. They usually didn't have to explain things to each other, or at least not after a few introductory facts like the ones he'd just provided. Then again, he and Sam had to do a lot of unorthodox thinking on a regular basis. His idea of probabilities and the doc's might be a little different.

"OK, it's like this. Somebody kidnapped us, and then threw us in that cave. And then we were sealed in… _how_?"

Realization finally dawned on her. "Right… How did they close the cave without tools or explosives? It's not like you can plan an act of God like a cave-in."

Dean nodded grimly. A seed was sprouting in the back of his mind, but he left it be for the time being. "I mean, there's not even a track up there. I doubt they trained some local Yogi and Boo Boo team to push down that wall of rubble."

"But maybe that means that the person who kidnapped us never meant to seal us in at _all_. Maybe that really was just a random coincidence… just bad luck. I mean, they left us supplies didn't they? Maybe we weren't _supposed _to be trapped."

Dean was more than a little skeptical about that line of reasoning. In his experience, coincidence was usually the last explanation. "Seems to me the odds of a cave-in randomly hitting the _exact_ cave where someone dumped us are pretty slim, don't you think?"

"OK, fine. But… so what exactly does all that mean then?" She could feel discomfort emanating from him now, and it disturbed her when she began to register that she seemed to be the cause.

He sighed heavily and looked back at the cave, the seed of doubt starting to sprout a little more. "I don't know, really. It's just… weird."

Although he was trying to act like in the end it was no big deal, she could still feel his unease reverberating around her and it was putting her on edge, especially when they had just seemed to be getting comfortable with each other again. "Dean, I… I just don't see how this is important right now. Shouldn't we be trying to find a way back to civilization?"

He finally nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, that's what we need to do. Unless you want to wait until morning to-"

"No. I just… I want to go home."

She was afraid that she'd sounded like a petulant child, but she couldn't help that right now. She could feel that something subtle but important had changed between them again and she couldn't figure out what or why... and it was making her feel more than a little distressed. On the surface he was acting normally, but she couldn't help but sense this new underlying wariness. These sudden changes to their "relationship" (such as it was) were starting to wear her down.

_What did I do?_

* * *

Dean trudged down the slope of the hill, limping on his sore shin. Once he reached Dani, she gave him another reprimanding look. She'd already argued with him before he'd climbed the slope but she was tired and irritable and felt like complaining some more."You know, it really would have been smarter to send me up to that point to look around."

"Probably, but I'm fine. No harm done."

His tone wasn't terse exactly, but it still bothered her. He was definitely treating her differently. She sighed inwardly and placed the blanket back around his shoulders.

It was a small gesture, but Dean was all too aware of it.

Something had been troubling him, and he'd thought it wiser to put a halt to the closeness that was developing between the two of them... at least for the time being.

And every ounce of his being was telling him it wasn't necessary.

When he'd realized they probably hadn't been sealed in to the cave thanks to "natural causes", he'd begun a little sorting in his mind. Why had he and Sam come to Albuquerque in the first place? _Sam's visions involving the Archer twins_. What had all of Sam's prievious visions been about? _The yellow-eyed demon and the other freaky power kids_. Although Dani hadn't revealed any special "powers" to him, it didn't mean they weren't there. None of the others had looked unusual, except maybe Max, but that had had nothing to do with his abilities. He was just a weird looking guy in general.

So what did it all mean? As much as he knew he had to admit the possibility of it, he just couldn't bring himself to believe that Dani had anything to do with their current predicament. At least not intentionally. He was usually a pretty good judge of people, and nothing about her said _dangerous _to him. He'd taken into account that he might be somewhat influenced by his own growing attachment to her, but even so... He had a pretty good record when it came to picking the bad guy, and his instincts were telling him it wasn't her.

So then, who or _what _had trapped them in this cave? He thought he had an idea or two about that as well...

Dani was trying her hardest _not _to read Dean and so far it seemed to be working. She decided to get back to the task at hand. "So, what did you see up there? Any lights or signs of life?"

"Not really, no. It's not that late yet so people should still have their lights on, so... I don't know. I think we should just keep heading in the same direction- east. We'll stick with your theory on these mountains being to the west of the towns and keep going. What do you think?"

Momentarily surprised by the fact that he seemed to want her opinion, she just stared at him blankly. "Uh, yeah. That sounds good. Lead the way."

As they wandered along throught the darkened desert-like terrain, Dani stayed close to Dean as he manned the flashlight- she'd had enough of tripping and falling to last a lifetime. And even despite the cold and her unease about what was obviously bothering Dean, she still couldn't help but be extremely aware of the virile specimen next to her.

"How's your leg?"

"Not bad." Truth be told, it was aching constantly but he was trying to focus his thoughts elsewhere. Unfortunately, they currently seemed to be bouncing between his suspicions about the cause of the cave-in and an unrelenting urge to grab Dani, pull her close to him and-

"Maybe we should stop for a moment so I can check the bandage? Make sure your stitches aren't tearing?"

He almost grunted "no", but he couldn't help recognize the gentle concern in her voice and he squirmed inwardly. He knew he should be keeping his distance until he had all this kidnapping crap sorted out but... he just couldn't seem to stay cold to her. Deep down he knew she was as much of a victim here as he was and trying to keep things business-like with her was just too hard. And he could tell she'd sensed the change in him and it was making her uneasy. He couldn't keep this up- it just wasn't fair to her.

He stopped and shined the flashlight between them. "I think it's OK, but it wouldn't hurt to check it out. It'd be dumb not to take advantage of free doctor's services."

He grinned at her and she suddenly felt like weeping. It was such a small thing, really... but it felt as if a huge weight had been removed from her shoulders.

She risked a small smile in return. "Who says my services are free?"

* * *

Sam flicked through the sites on the internet. Officer Dalton had given him a few local tourist destinations that might fit the bill but it was too dark out for him to try to pinpoint the correct one right now. He'd opted to try to check them out online and narrow his search for the morning.

From his vision, he knew that the girl would be there sometime late in the day- he remembered the sun had been dropping below the horizon in his vision. Still, once he'd found the right place, he intended to be there early- he'd wait there all day if he had to, in fact, because he knew she was the key to finding Dean.

And he also hoped that maybe this time... maybe he would finally be able to prevent a tragedy from one of his visions from happening.

* * *

Dean's leg had looked OK, but since they were finally drying off a bit, Dani had put on a clean bandage anyway. And now they were once again wandering through the rough terrain hoping to catch a glimpse of humanity and possible rescue.

Dean felt like a jerk, but he knew he had to get to the bottom of things. The only way he knew how to do that at the moment was to somehow subtly probe Dani for information, but "subtle" wasn't usually Dean's modus operandi. He usually left that stuff to Sam.

_But Sam's not here_.

"So, Dani... we got some time to kill. Why don't you tell me some more about yourself." He slowed his pace a bit and looked over at her. "So, you're a twin? What's that like?"

"Well... I'm sure my experiences are probably a lot different than most twins, to be honest."

"Right, since your parents died when you were young." He didn't know how to sugarcoat these things so he just kept going. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened to them?"

"Well, apparently we were at a summer cottage and there was a fire. Our father managed to get us out, but he died when he went back in to get our mother."

The hair on the back of Dean's neck stood up. "A fire? Wow, that's... that's too bad. I'm sorry."

"Thanks, but like I said, we were just babies so..."

"Yeah, I remember. Um, when you say babies... exactly how old were you?"

"6 months old to the day, actually."

_Jesus_._ Guess Ash isn't perfect- he missed them in his list_.

"Wow. That's awful. I'm sorry." She didn't reply so he went on. "My mother died when I was little too. Sam was just a baby but I was 4 so I still remember her a little."

"You were just a little guy. That's so sad, Dean. I'm sorry. That would be so hard for a little boy." She rubbed his shoulder absently and he felt a little warmth encircling his chest. "Still, I almost envy you. I have no memory of my parents at all. If it weren't for photographs, I wouldn't even know what they looked like."

They both seemed to contemplate that for a moment as they walked on in silence. Dean felt the urge to grab hold of her hand but he refrained. They'd strayed away from what he'd been intending to get to the bottom of and he tried to refocus himself.

"So, why don't you and your sister get along?"

"Oh boy... Where to start?" She laughed slightly. "I guess... Well, we're just very different, that's all. We've always had very different interests and... priorities."

"How so?"

"Uh, I guess she was always more of a..." She strained to not be unfair to her sister. It wasn't her fault they were different. "... social person. She likes to be around a lot of people all the time, and she dates a lot and, well... you know. She's just more of a partier than I am."

"And what are you like then?" Dean's mouth rose up on one side and she shifted uncomfortably.

"Well... you know. I'm... not a partier."

Dean laughed. "OK, we've established that. So what's important to you if it isn't all about having a good time?"

Her head came up at that last comment. "Hey, I never said I didn't like to have a good time."

She probably shouldn't have looked over at Dean then because he flashed her his most lacivious smile and she felt herself both amused and vaguely turned on in an uncomfortable sort of way. "You know what I mean."

He laughed, but then he urged her on. "Alright, but what interests you, Dani?"

"Well, I was always more into school when we were growing up. And I liked doing sports. I mean, I never won any gold medals but I enjoyed the competition and the teamwork."

"A sporty nerd. That's _hot_."

She laughed and whacked him on the arm. "Goof."

He smiled at her again and she melted just a little bit. And then he continued.

"So, you really don't get along? Like, do you fight a lot, or...?"

She furrowed her brow slightly. "Well, not usually. We just dont have much to say to each other. When we get together, it's usually for a purpose- some business thing we have to sign for the firm or something. I come when necessary, but that's about it. And she's never come to Boston in all the time I've been there."

"Hmmm."

"Are you really interested in all this or are you just trying to make conversation?"

He shrugged innocently. "Both."

"Well, how about we discuss something else."

"Hey, whatever you say. Makes no difference to me."

"Good. I'm sure we can find something far more interesting to talk about to pass the time."

Dean tried to look as unconcerned as possible, but now he was wondering if she really just didn't feel like discussing her dysfunctional family, or whether there was a lot more animosity between she and her sister than she was letting on. Unfortunately, now was not going to be the time to figure that out, unfortunately.

But he'd have to figure it out eventually, and the sooner the better. He had a sinking suspicion their lives might depend on it.

* * *

The night wore on and they continued to walk through the desert-like landscape, speaking only occasionally, mostly because they were both bordering on exhaustion.

Dean figured he could keep going for a while longer, but he feigned the occasional need to stop to rest his leg so that Dani could get some rest. He couldn't decide whether he admired her determination or was annoyed by her stubborn-ness. Either way, they soldiered on in the darkness, hoping for a sign of life.

Dani was so tired that she'd stopped noticing her tired legs. She'd known that Dean was really only taking a break for her benefit, but at that point she'd been more than willing to go along with him. They must have been walking for at least 8 or 9 hours by now, she figured. Surely the sun would be up soon and they'd be able to get their bearings a little better? She was quickly reaching her breaking point.

She stumbled over a rock yet again, but before she could try to recover, Dean had his arm around her and was propping her up. He didn't say anything this time, having learned his lesson after the last couple of times he'd asked her how she was doing. And for some reason, this brought tears to her eyes. She tried to wipe them away discretely, but Dean must have heard her slight sniffle and he aimed the flashlight below her chin and looked into her face. She tried to look normal but he saw right through her.

Dean stopped walking and, looking at her with concern, he dropped the duffle bag and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

The tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry Dean. I don't know what's wrong with me."

He squeezed her a little closer and stroked the back of her hair. "I know what's wrong with you. You've been knocked out, kidnapped, trapped in a cave with a stranger, banged around, underfed, and now we've been walking through the desert for about 10 years. You're hungry, you're sore and you're exhausted." He leaned back to look into her face, which was somewhat visible in the starlight. 'That about cover it?"

She sniffled gratefully and a smile crept out through the misery. "Yeah, I'd say that pretty much covers it." She loosened an arm from his hug and wiped at her cheeks. "Although you missed one thing that you usually also point out."

One side of his mouth quirked up. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"_Handsome _stranger. I believe the normal line would be, 'You were trapped in a cave with a handsome stranger.'"

His smile widened and he laughed softly. "You're right. I can't believe I screwed that up."

Maybe it was the exhaustion, but she couldn't seem to control herself and she placed her hand to his cheek and stroked a finger along his jawline. She could feel it suddenly clench underneath her fingertips. "Yeah, I can't believe you forgot that. I sure haven't."

His jaw moved under her hand again as he swallowed deeply.

Then she leaned in to kiss him softly.


	14. Chapter 14

The kiss slowly deepened and Dean pulled Dani closer to his chest, his hand seeking the small of her back underneath his jacket. She moaned softly into his lips, unconsciously pushing her hips closer into his. She felt him stiffening against her and she ran her hands up his back. The blanket fell to the ground. 

She ran her fingers up the back of his neck and into his hair as his mouth urged hers on, his tongue slipping tantalizing in and out and driving her a little crazy with need.

But this time it was Dean who pulled away. "Dani... we better stop."

She took a deep recovery breath before she spoke. "Oh, yeah... I guess..."

He smiled and tilted her chin up close to his. "Honey, your legs are quavering... and as much as I'd like to take credit for that, I'm thinkin' it's more likely due to exhaustion." He pressed his forehead to hers and sighed. "I really think we need to take a break."

She moved so that her head was resting on his shoulder and let out a sigh of her own. "I guess you're probably right..." She trailed off as she felt his body tense. "What?"

He turned away from her slightly and seemed to be listening. "You hear that?"

She strained to hear anything out of the ordinary. At first she couldn't figure out what he was talking about, but then she heard it. "Is that water? Like a river?"

"Yeah, I think so. And we're heading right for it."

Suddenly excited, they both managed to overcome their tiredness and moved in the direction of the sound. After about 10 minutes, they found themselves at the edge of a large rushing river. Dean bent down to grab some of the stoney sand on the bank.

"Is this the Rio Grande?"

Dani crouched beside him, and then thought better of it when her legs began to tremble and simply sat down. "Yeah, I think it is."

"Wicked. I've driven all over this country, but this is the closest I've been to the Rio Grande."

As if on cue, the sky seemed to brighten a little bit, and Dani could clearly see the smile lingering on Dean's face. She found herself smiling as well. "It is pretty beautiful. And there's something else." He turned to her in question, and she continued. "Judging by the mountains around us, we were moving in the right direction." She tried to push herself back up, but found her legs were being somewhat uncooperative. Dean reached down and gave her a pull up, but she practically fell into him. He happily pulled her into his side, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she felt a moment of extreme contentedness despite what she had to say next.

"The problem is, I think we need to get to the other side."

Dean looked at the rushing water before them and snorted. "Excellent. And me without my rubber dinghy."

Dani laughed. "Me either. But maybe we can find a place where it narrows and try to wade across? There are any number of shallows along it... we just need to find one."

"Maybe we should just take a break now and get some sleep. Maybe just an hour or so."

The light grew stronger with every moment and Dean could see the determination returning to Dani's face. He knew what her next words would be before she spoke them.

"I think we should keep going, Dean... At least until we reach the other side? There will be settlements over there, I'm certain." She looked east across the river. "There are probably some just out of sight as it is..." She looked up at him hopefully. "I mean, we've come so far already."

He shook his head and squeezed her closer again. "When we finally see my brother, you are NOT telling him about how I can't say '_No_' to you, alright?" He smirked before he kissed her hair and she laughed.

"Deal."

They made their way down to the edge of the river and for a change, they actually had some good luck and found a narrowing spot in about 15 minutes.

"What do you think? This looks not too bad."

Dani yawned and nodded. "Yeah, looks like there are a few sandbars. We'll just have to be careful in between. The current can surprise you." She decided not to go into the details of all the horror stories she'd heard as a child of people misjudging the currents and getting swept away. They were too close to getting out of this mess for her to think negatively. And plus, it really did look like a good place to cross.

Dean rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Alright, let's do this. I'll go first and you come behind. Maybe you should hold on to my waist just in case."

In another brazen moment that surprised even her, Dani wrapped her arms around Dean from behind and tiredly put her head on his shoulder. "Like this?" Even just resting here like this was a huge relief. She couldn't remember ever being this weary- even during the neverending workload at Med school.

He laughed softly and leaned back into her. "Not if you actually want to get across right _now_."

She took a step back and put her hands to his sides. "OK, let's do this."

They stepped into the quickly flowing river and the instant shock of the cold water made them both gasp. Dean put a hand on one of hers at his waist. "Wow. I'm definitely awake now."

Dani felt a moments concern for his leg wound but figured the ice water would probably do him some good in the long run. The current was tugging so hard at their shins, it would probably give the injury a nice cleaning out, in fact. And by the time they had reached the halfway point, her own legs were already beginning to feel numb from the knees down. If he'd been having any residual pain, she was sure he wasn't feeling anything now.

The morning light was almost fullblown now, and Dean was doing a good job of judging where they should step, and despite the strong pull of the current at their legs, Dani felt confident behind his lead. She took a moment to look past his shoulder and was happy to see that they were almost to the other side. "Wow, I'm amazed. We've almost made it. Could we actually be getting some good luck for a change?"

"Don't say anything- you'll jinx it."

She laughed and pressed her hands more tightly to his waist as she leaned to the side a bit to grin at him. "All I know is, I may have to just lay down on that bank once we finally rea-"

Her foot dropped into the underwater equivalent of a pothole and she lost her grasp on Dean and fell into the river. It wasn't very deep where they were, but the strength of the current and the weight of Dean's jacket pulled her under almost immediately. She felt the icy water flowing down her throat as she momentarily struggled to re-surface, but she was just too tired to fight.

White spots were appearing before her closed eyes when she felt herself abruptly being yanked back to the surface, and she sputtered immediately, coughing up water. The next thing she knew, she was laying cradled in Dean's arms on the river bank, coughing in spurts.

"Dani... Talk to me. Are you OK, sweetheart?"

She coughed again and then began shivering uncontrollably. She was freezing.

"Dani?"

She opened her eyes and stared into his concerned ones. "God, I suck."

He laughed with relief and pulled her into more of a sitting position in his lap. "Man, you scared me. One minute you were holdng onto me and the next you were disappearing down the river. I thought I'd lost you."

She took a deep breath and it burned her traumatized lungs a bit. "So much for my luck changing for the better."

She was shivering harder now and he tried to warm her up in his embrace, but he wasn't hopeful. "We better find you someplace warm soon or you're going to get pneumonia."

"Hypothermia."

"What?"

"I'm more likely... to get... hypothermia." She was stuttering under the all the shaking her body was doing.

"Do you think you'll be able to walk?" He rubbed his hands quickly up and down her arms in a feeble attempt to warm her up.

"I... thu...thu... think so." She tried to get up but in the end Dean had to help her. She thought maybe walking would at least keep her circulation moving.

They were at the foot of a steep embankment, and it only got higher to the north, turning into what looked like some fairly impressive cliffs. But to the south, the embankment seemed to level off. Dean wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders and led her in that direction.

"Damn, I wish I hadn't lost that blanket in the river."

"It's OK, Dean. I think I'm ha...ha... happier that yo.. yo.. you went after _me_ instead of the blanket." He was too concerned about her impending hypothermia to be able to laugh just then, so he just squeezed her shoulders a little tighter.

A minute later, they started to climb the embankment where it seemed fairly low and Dean was mentally crossing his fingers that some sign of civilization was on the other side.

And then he was thanking his lucky stars as he saw something glinting off in the distance. He squinted for all he was worth and was pretty sure he could see a rooftop. "Hallelujah. I think I see something." He kept his arm around her and moved towards the possible building. Dani tried to see what he was talking about but she was trembling too hard to focus. In this case, she was more than willing to take his word for it.

They stumbled onward, but Dani could feel her strength fading. She focused on the terrain in front of them and tried to will her legs to keep walking. And then she saw a familiar sight ahead of them. "Dean... I think... I think that's the Kuaua Pueblo."

"The... the what?"

"It's an old Native American village. I went to it a few times on school trips... when I was a kid."

Dean looked off towards what looked like low stone walls. They were still a ways off, but he could see what looked like a modern building past it. He felt a moment of excitement. If this was a tourist stop...

He was about to ask Dani if that modern looking structure might be a manned info center or something like it, but she chose that moment to collapse in his arms.

"Dani... Come on, now. We're almost there." He helped her settle gently to the earth.

"I'm... sorry, Dean. I...don't..."

"It's OK. I got you." He picked her up in his arms and started walking again. He was beyond exhausted himself, but he would be damned if they couldn't make it the last half mile to shelter... and hopefully some much needed assistance. Dani put her head on Dean's shoulder and he could hear her rasping breaths. "Hold on, darlin'. I'm going to get you somewhere warm."

She tried to alleviate his fears, but she was slipping into unconsciousness, whether from the cold or from her tiredness she wasn't sure. "I'm... OK, Dean. Don't worry. Just... tired."

He knew when she'd passed out because her body became a little more limp in his arms. His own leg was killing him, but he limped along as fast as he could. He was desperate to get her somewhere warm, and fast.

The sun was coming up, but he barely felt a change in the temperature. Early morning was still pretty chilly in the winter, even in New Mexico. He cursed out loud because the village didn't seem to be getting any closer, but still he struggled forward.

And then he could finally see the low walls closing in- they looked like some sort of half-exposed archaeological dig. The large new tourist center was clearly visible just beyond the old walls and he tried to quicken his tiring pace. It was still pretty early, so there probably wouldn't be anyone on site yet, but he'd break down the door if it meant getting Dani somewhere warm.

He was gasping under the strain when he finally reached the outside wall... and that's when he stumbled over some loose ground and his legs gave out. As he fell to the ground, he twisted to the side to cushion Dani with his own body and they dropped to the earth.

When he'd recovered the wind that had been knocked out of his lungs, he hollered out in frustration.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

He struggled to get free from under Dani, and when he tried to crawl to a crouching position, a piercing bolt of pain shot up his leg from his wounded shin and he squeezed his eyes shut under the agony. When he could see clear again, he bellowed once again.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!! ARG!!!"

He pulled Dani into his side and tried to make her comfortable. He felt the slightest bit of relief when she seemed to snuggle in closer to him, and he heard her mumble his name into his shoulder. And then he felt the frustration take hold again.

"FUCK!"

He held her close to him and put his face in her hair, thinking maybe he just needed a moment before he could try to get up again... and then he heard a voice in the distance.

"_Dean_?"

He was positive he was hallucinating. And then he heard it again, closer.

"_Dean?!!_"

He turned his head hopefully back towards the big building in the distance. Was that his brother moving towards him? "Sammy?!!"

The figure picked up its pace and started to run towards him. He almost wept with joy. "Sam!"

Sam finally reached him and dropped down onto his knees before the two bedraggled people on the ground. "Dean! Oh my god- are you hurt?"

"Yeah, but I'll live. Once again, I don't know if I've ever been this glad to see you before." He smiled widely despite his beleaguered state. "Tell me my car is over there somewhere?"

"Yeah, of course it is. But-"

"Take her now and put her in the back seat. Grab a couple blankets out of the trunk, jack the heat up and get her out of my wet jacket, fast." He pushed Dani towards his brother and Sam scooped her up easily, but he hesitated before moving.

"Are you sure you're-"

"_Just go_. Once you've got her somewhere warm, come back and get me."

Sam nodded and then took off at a slow jog with Dani in his arms. Dean watched his brother's retreating back and sighed with relief, the smile firmly etched on his face now. They weren't completely out of the woods, but they were well on their way.

* * *

Sam snapped his cellphone closed and looked in the rearview mirror as he drove along the highway. Dean had his arms wrapped around a sleeping and blanket encased Danielle Archer. Another blanket covered them both. Dean's eyes were closed, but Sam wasn't sure if he was asleep.

"What did he say?" Apparently Dean was awake after all.

"He gave me directions to the nearest hospital and he's going to meet us there."

"And he's calling Dani's sister? Drew?"

"Yeah, he's got it covered. She'll probably be at the hospital by the time we get there."

Sam was still processing everything. He and Dean hadn't really had a chance to debrief each other- Dean had only been concerned with helping the woman he currently held in his arms. And the fact that he kept referring to her as 'Dani' implied a certain level of intimacy, he thought. Then again, from the bit of information his brother had shared, they'd apparently been trapped together in some cave up until yesterday, so chances are they'd gotten familiar with each other.

Still, the way Dean had spoken softly to her as he'd climbed into the back seat and taken her in his arms...

"So we're Corbetts now?" Dean's voice startled him from his reverie.

"Huh?"

"Our current last name? I heard you say 'Sam Corbett'."

"Oh yeah. Right. Corbett."

Sam glanced between the road and the rearview mirror. Dean looked pretty haggard, but his voice still held its usual strength.

"OK, so we gotta get our story straight. How do we explain how you found me? I don't think they're going to buy that you saw it in a vision..."

Sam frowned, and was about to tell his brother about the vision, but the woman stirred in his arms, moaning softly. "_Dean_?"

Dean pulled her a little closer and spoke quietly in her ear. "It's OK, darlin'. I'm right here. I've got you."

She exhaled loudly and then appeared to fall back asleep. Dean looked back towards Sam.

"Alright... how about this: Once we finally got free of the cave and started wandering, I finally got a cell phone signal and I called you for help."

"They'll want to check your phone. You need to lose it."

"I think whomever kidnapped us must have gotten rid of it. I haven't had it since I walked into that alley outside the Archer Building and got nabbed. So I'll say it must have fallen in the river when I had to pull Dani out."

"Sounds good. Let's just hope the kidnappers don't provide your phone at some point."

"Well, if they did, they'd have to explain how they got it."

"Let's hope they feel that way too... But what about her?"

"What do you mean?"

"She knows you didn't have your phone, doesn't she? She knows you never called me."

Dean seemed lost in thought for a moment. "I don't think it will be a problem. I'll just tell her the truth."

Sam's brows went up. "You think she'll believe us?" Then he looked a little more closely at Dean in the mirror. "Is she like me? Does she have special... abilities?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't know. Nothing that I ever noticed, but that doesn't mean they're not there. I mean, your visions are always about old yellow eyes and the rest of your Super Friends buddies, right? I think it's safe to say she might have some abilities."

Sam nodded, thinking about Drew Archer. It wouldn't surprise him one bit if she had some powers... and their experiences so far had taught them that both twins would probably have them.

Sam began to explain what had happened after the two had disappeared, but he hadn't gotten very far when he saw the hospital up ahead. As predicted, Officer Dalton was already there, as was a man who looked like a doctor with a gurney. Sam pulled up in front of them and got out of the car, moving to the back door to help his brother get out.

As Dean passed Dani to his brother, another car appeared beside the Impala. Drew Archer and the tall, dark-haired man Sam recognized from before climbed out and moved in his direction. Drew ran to her sister's side as she was lowered onto the gurney, and the man grabbed Dani's hand and spoke in soft, concerned tones. Dean limped out of the backseat and watched in amazement.

Sam moved to his brother's side in case he wasn't strong enough to keep standing, but a newly lit fire seemed to be burning behind his older brother's eyes.

Dani seemed to be waking under the attentions of her sister and the other man. She shifted herself as the doctor organized her properly on the gurney, and her eyes fluttered as she tried to open them.

And then Sam watched in shock as Officer Dalton proceded to handcuff Dean and read him his rights.


	15. Chapter 15

**_A.N.: _**It's been a while since I thanked everyone for all the kind reviews, so... THANKS!

But _holy jeeze_. I put up 2 chapters within 12 hours of each other and still I get demands to hurry up and get new ones up! Crap, you people are demanding! lol But don't worry, I'm trying to be obliging...

OK, and please be reminded that I have very little knowledge of how police procedures really work, so just pretend along with me, won't you? _:p_

* * *

Dani could hear a stranger's voice from somewhere that seemed very far away.

_"Dalton? What the hell are you doing? He needs medical attention!"_

She thought maybe she was dreaming since she was pretty sure she didn't know anyone named Dalton.

She was super tired, but at least she was feeling much warmer now and her shivers were coming less frequently. And then she felt a large, warm hand wrapped around hers... She decided to just open her eyes and see where she and Dean had ended up.

"Dean?"

She looked up at the person attached to the hand that was holding hers and was momentarily confused to see Jack looking down at her with concern. "Jack? What...?"

She was distracted by more of the argument she'd been overhearing a moment ago.

"He hasn't done anything wrong! In fact, she might not even be here, alive and well, if it wasn't for him!"

Dani's eyes sought out the source of the voice and then her eyes widened in shock. She was certain she was dreaming now. The dark-haired young man from her visions was staring back at her, looking almost as bewildered as she was. She heard Jack saying her name at her side, but she couldn't seem to look away from the stranger.

Dean had been trying to keep an eye on Dani in between haggling with the cop over his arrest, and now he watched the unspoken exchange between her and his brother. He felt his hackles going up instantly_-_ What the hell was this?They were looking at each other like soul mates and Dean didn't like it one bit.

All three of them were so distracted, it wasn't until Officer Dalton started to yank Dean towards his squad car that they snapped out of it. Sam moved after his brother, starting to argue with the cop again, but the older man didn't seem interested in stopping until he heard Dani's plaintitive cry from behind him:

"_Wait!_ Stop! Where are you taking him?"

Dalton turned around and looked at the poor, worn out looking young woman, and he clearly felt uncomfortable with the situation. He looked back at Dean and sighed.

"Dean Corbett, I'm arresting you on suspicion of kidnapping. You have-"

"Kidnapping?" Dani's voice was incredulous. "Are you _insane_? He's as much a victim here as I am. Let him go!"

The cop hesitated, his eyes moving to those of Drew Archer before returning to Dani. "I'm sorry ma'am. There's been some indication from your family that the man that brought you in should be-"

"My _family_?" She looked at her sister with surprise. "Drew? Is this your doing?"

Drew looked more impatient than sheepish. "Dani, we have to be sure these men aren't accomplices to-"

"Let him go." Drew began to sit up straighter. The doctor beside her stood back when she waved his restraining hand away. "Let him go or I will press charges against everyone involved."

Three voice intermingled as they tried to ostensibly talk some sense into her: Dalton, Jack and Drew. "Ms. Archer, I don't think-" "Dani, I think you should let-" "We don't even know these-"

"_Let him go_." She was clearly getting more agitated, as exhausted as she was. She was trying to get off the gurney now and Dean watched her with concern. He knew he had to do something before she hurt herself.

"Look, feel free to arrest me later if you still want to, but let's just do what she says right now or else you're never going to get her inside for some medical attention, alright?"

Dani stopped her movements and looked back at him. A smile spread across her face and he grinned back.

Dalton looked at Drew again and she finally shrugged. "Fine. Whatever."

Dean felt the cuffs being released and he rubbed his wrists unconsciously. Sam grabbed his shoulder.

"Come on. You need some medical help yourself."

Drew was finally letting them take her inside, but she watched him until she was out of sight. Then Sam lead Dean towards the doors. He stumbled a bit and Sam urged him upright again.

_Man, what a freakin' week this has been_.

* * *

After her doctor had told her what she already knew- that she was fine and just needed rest- and after Drew had confirmed that Dean was not only safe from being arrested again, but was also receiving the best medical attention available, she'd finally been able to consider getting some sleep.

But then Jack had reappeared.

Drew had stood beside her bed insisting that her "fiance" was making his way eagerly back to her room, and while Dani had been asserting that the two of them were by no means engaged, he'd stood in the doorway holding a small velvet box.

His deep voice broke into the awkward silence: "Well maybe we should remedy that right now."

Dani swallowed heavily in her already sore throat.

* * *

Dean ate the small chocolate pudding greedily and then looked at his brother hopefully from his hospital bed. "Dude... sneak down the hall and see if you can see any more of these puddings. Somebody else must have a tray waiting for them."

Sam just shook his head, smirking. "I'm glad you're feeling OK, man."

"Yeah, well I'd be even better if you scored me some more pudding."

Sam chose to ignore him. "So... now what? You'll be out of here tomorrow and then what's our next course of action."

"Well, right now I was thinking... maybe you could go check on Dani for me?" Dean braced himself for the inevitable teasing comments from Sam but none came.

"I already did, dude. Or at least I tried to- she was OK but her sister and her fiance were in there with her so I didn't want to interrupt."

_Fiance? What the...?_

Dean tried to hide his shock, but Sam spotted it anyway.

"Dean, what's up with you two? Did you get... _close _in the cave or something?"

He was ready to deny everything and he opened his mouth to do just that... and then he let out a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, I guess we did. Sort of. I mean, nothing happened... not really..."

"It's alright- I don't need the details." He shook his head in wonder again. "But leave it to you to _pick up_ in a cave in the desert. You never cease to amaze me."

Dean laughed. "Yeah, well... when you got it, you got it." Then he looked wistful. "But it wasn't like that this time. Seriously. This girl... this girl is... she's different."

Sam smirked. "Aren't they all, as far as you're concerned?"

"Dude, I'm not talking about sexual contortionist moves here. Dani's... well, she's _special_. I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like her... She's obviously easy on the eyes, but it's more than that. She's smart, she's funny... and she's incredibly... awesome. I just don't know any other way to say it."

"Alright, I get it: You've got it bad. But she's got a fiance. And maybe more importantly, she's incredibly high profile. You know she's loaded, right? Like multi-millionaire type loaded? And you're on police bulletins. Not exactly a perfect match there."

Dean looked downcast. "Trust me, bro, you're not telling me anything I didn't already know." And then he looked even more downcast. "And anyway... The way she looked at you... It was like she couldn't look away. I mean, judging by her "fiance", you _are_ more her type maybe. That whole tall, dark and annoying deal." He knew he sounded bitter but he couldn't seem to help himself.

"Or there's the other more probable option: You're an idiot.."

Dean's brows went up and he faked an insulted look. "_Nice_. I'm lying in a hospital and you're calling me names."

Sam laughed. "Dean, when _aren't _you lying in a hospital?"

Dean had to give him that one. Sam stood up and paced beside his brother's hospital bed.

"Look, I think you're missing the obvious answer here. When I saw her, it was like I was staring into one of my visions. I'm sure she's the one I saw. At least the first visions- the ones that drew us here. So I'm betting she sees things too- she was looking at me the same way, like she _recognized _me. And you know I only have the visions when it involves the yellow-eyed demon or the other kids like me. She _must_ have seen me."

Sam watched the comprehension roll across his brother's face and he almost laughed. This was probably the first time Dean had ever looked _relieved_ at the idea that someone had "special" abilities. He smiled at his older brother knowingly.

_Oh yeah, Dean_._ You've got it bad_.

* * *

Dani tossed and turned in her bed.

Despite all of her yawning and fluttering of her eyelids, it had finally taken a stern nurse telling Jack and Drew to hit the road before she'd gotten a quiet moment alone so she could sleep. And sleep she _had_ for a solid couple of hours. But something had woken her up, and now she couldn't get back to sleep.

It was bright in her room since it was mid-afternoon, but she didn't think that was what was keeping her from sleep. She rolled on her side and stared at the wall. This was getting her nowhere fast.

She pulled back her sheets and lowered herself to the floor. Her legs were a little stiff, and she was lightheaded for a second, but then she was fine. She made her way to the door, modestly clutching the open back of her hospital gown. She gave a small woop as she suddenly encountered a security man outside her door.

"Oh... Hi there. I, uh... I wanted to find the man that I came in with. Do you know where he's located?"

The security guard looked at her with bemusement. "Yeah. But I'm not supposed to tell you."

"According to whom? My sister?"

He didn't respond and so she moved past him to the nurses' station. She heard him scrambling to follow her. "Miss Archer-"

She held up a hand and cut him off, leaning forward to politely ask the nurse for Dean's whereabouts. The nurse gave her the room number and directions. "Just down the hall and to the left. But you probably shouldn't be out of bed, honey."

She smiled kindly at the nurse. "I'm sure you've seen my chart. I think I'll live."

The nurse smiled as she started off down the hallway.

* * *

Sam had finished his side of the story, finally, and now he and Dean were trying to figure out their next move. And then Sam remembered something important he'd been trying to tell Dean earlier, just before they'd reached the hospital.

"Dean, there's something I need to tell you. The vision I had... it wasn't about you and Dani being at those ruins this morning. I was actually camping out there because I thought something was going to be going down there in the _evening_. The fact that you guys appeared when you did? Well, let's just say that was an amazing bonus."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"What I saw... You weren't even there, Dean. All I saw was one of the twins and... well, it doesn't end well."

Dean stared hard at his brother. "What do you mean_ it_ _doesn't end well?"_

"I'm not entirely sure, man. I just saw one of them- I don't even know which one- and there were flashes of those ruins, and then, uh... she looked bloodied and I got the feeling she was dead."

Dean's heart sank. "Dead?!! How?"

"I really couldn't tell. She was just laying on the ground. That's all I saw."

"There must be something more. _Anything_."

"I'm sorry, Dean. That's all I got, I swear to you."

"_Jesus_."

Sam stood up slowly and leaned towards his brother, looking him hard in the eyes. "Listen, I'm starving and you're beat. I'm going to go get something to eat and let you get some sleep and we're going to go back at this tonight with fresh eyes, alright? Between the two of us, we can figure this out. It's _what we do_. We can make sure nothing happens to Dani."

Dean nodded at his brother, trying to draw confidence from the younger man's positive attitude. "Yeah... yeah, OK. You're right." He leaned back against his pillows, trying to squelch his lingering panic. "OK... Go get something to eat. I'll see you later."

Sam gave him another encouraging glance before he slipped out the door and Dean closed his eyes and tried to force any remaining worries away. He didn't usually dwell on things and he would be damned if he was going to let this affect him now. He needed to stay sharp and ready, as always. And he would. Dani needed him.

He rolled onto his side and looked at the empty bed next to him and closed his eyes again. And slowly, the Winchester confidence returned. He started to believe they'd get the job done right, like they always did. Sam had been right- they would sort this out, same as always.

And yet still he couldn't sleep.

He rolled onto his back again and tried to let himself drift off, but it still wasn't working. And he was starting to get annoyed. Nevermind the fact that he was completely wiped out; he _never_ had trouble sleeping.

_What the hell is going on here?_

And then there was a gentle tap on his door and it opened slightly. A familiar face appeared in the opening.

"Hiya. Can I come in?" Dani smiled nervously and Dean fell his chest getting tight. He sat straighter in his bed.

"Absolutely."

He laughed lightly as she walked towards him, barefoot and holding on to the back of her gown. She blushed as she read his mind. "It's a little drafty back there."

She sat in the chair beside his bed and he was relieved to see that, while she still looked tired, she had a little more colour in her cheeks than the last time he'd seen her. She moved her chair a little closer to his bed and leaned on his mattress. "So... How are you doing?"

"The doctor said you did a bang up job on my stitches. He re-did a couple that I tore out at the end there, but otherwise I'm ship shape. I'm out of here tomorrow. You?"

"Same. I just need rest and I'm able to leave tomorrow."

"So why aren't you?

"Resting? I don't know. I'm beat, but I can't seem to sleep." She looked at him in question. "Why aren't _you_ sleeping?"

"Same."

An awkward silence fell and Dani looked at her bare feet.

"So, that guy earlier... that was your fiance?"

Dani's head came up quickly. "Why does everyone keep saying that? He wasn't my fiance. _Isn't _my fiance."

"Right. Sorry." He cleared his throat softly. "Um, so... what_ is_ he then, if you don't mind me asking?"

She bit her lip, smiling awkwardly. "He's...uh... my ex-boyfriend."

Dean tilted his head to the side. "_Ex_?"

She laughed lightly and looked at her feet again. "Yep."

He rolled to his side and stared at her, smiling. If nothing else, he couldn't be more thankful that he'd met this woman. She moved him more than he had ever thought possible. He was just about to take her hand when she spoke up.

"Well, I guess we should both try to get some sleep, huh?" She smiled at him again as she stood, and he felt immediately bummed that she was leaving again already.

He was about to protest her departure... and then she lifted the sheet that covered him and crawled in beside him. He laughed out loud in amazement when she scootched into his side and tucked her face into his neck, sighing contentedly. She wrapped an arm over his side and gave him a slight squeeze before saying a breathy "good night" into his neck. Dean kissed the top of her head and hugged her closer to him.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?" He leaned back to try to look down at her.

"Is your last name really 'Winchester' or is it actually 'Corbett'?"

He smirked. He'd been wondering if she'd caught that earlier. "It's really Winchester, I promise. But..." He took a deep breath. "Dani, do you trust me?"

He could feel her nodding into his chest. "Yeah, Dean, I do. I'm not sure why exactly, but I really do."

He smiled and stroked her back gently. "Thank you. That actually means a lot to me." He moved his mouth a little closer to her ear. "Dani?"

She yawned her reply. "_Yeah_?"

"For the time being, do you think you could do me a favour and act like it's Corbett?"

He felt a shiver as she kissed his neck tenderly. "Yeah, Dean. I can do that." She yawned and snuggled against him again. "One day, you can explain it all to me."

"I will. I _promise_." He caressed her back once more. "Sleep tight, Dani."

They were both asleep in under a minute.


	16. Chapter 16

Drew stared into the bathroom mirror, her eyes even harder than usual. She was not at all happy with the way things were going.

The tall, handsome Jack was angrily packing his suitcase at the moment, having been dumped just a few hours ago by her foolish sister. Drew was certain she could find some fun uses for him once she convinced him to stay a little while longer...

And the Corbett brothers should be behind bars right now for the kidnapping of her sister. That much was certain.

She scowled at her reflection.

She was going to have to do something about all of this, and the sooner the better.

* * *

Sam's search on the internet pulled up very little on the deaths of the Archer twins parents, which was strange in and of itself. They'd been just as wealthy when they'd died, so surely a prominent local couple would have garnered a little more coverage. And the minimal coverage they had received had cited the cause of death as a car crash, not a cottage fire, like Dean had told him. It was no surprise, then that Ash had missed them on his list.

But in the end, it probably didn't matter that much. They already knew that there were enough people that broke the pattern to make it impossible to calculate how many other kids with special abilities were out there.

And besides, after his conversation with Dean, he was already focusing his research elsewhere.

* * *

Dani awoke with a yawn.

She moved to stretch out, but found that she was wrapped tightly in somebody else's arms. She smiled to herself and pushed herself closer to the warm body next to her. She could not imagine a better place to be.

She risked sliding her arm back from around Dean's side and slipped her fingers over his chest. He felt nice and warm through the thin hospital t-shirt. And solid. She stroked her fingers idly back and forth, enjoying the feel of him.

She breathed in deeply when she felt his hand sliding across the skin of her naked back and coming to rest on her hip under the gown. He slid a leg between hers before putting his lips close to her ear and speaking softly.

"I can't believe we haven't been busted yet... It's getting dark outside so we must have slept for at least a few hours." His lips grazed her earlobe and she shivered.

"Ye-yeah. I'm surprised too." His fingers worked a sensual little circle over her hip and she strained not to moan out loud.

His lips brushed her ear again as he spoke and it was driving her mad. "Wow. You know, while I have to admit that as crappy as it was being trapped in a cave, snuggling with you on the hard ground was pretty damned enjoyable. But _this_... this is..."

"Better?" She finished for him, before kissing his neck softly. Two could play at this game.

He growled low and pulled her upwards a little bit so that they were face to face. "Yes, _much_ better."

She stared into his smouldering eyes, amazed at how erotic a single hospital bed could be.

A throat clearing from across the room caught their attention. "_Ahem_."

They both swivelled their heads towards the unknown visitor and Dani's cheeks began to blush. Sam stood just inside the doorway looking uncomfortable.

Dean leaned back as Dani squirmed uncomfortably beside him. In the next moment they were awkwardly laying side by side, staring ruefully at the younger Winchester.

Sam ran his hands awkwardly through his hair and moved inside the room slowly. "Uh... hi there. How're you two feeling?" He ignored the umimpressed look coming from Dean and focused on Dani, who smiled slightly back at him.

"Much better, thank you." She pushed herself up and swung her legs out from under the sheets. Dean stopped himself from sighing his disappointment as she dropped to the floor facing Sam. "And thank you so much for arriving just in the nick of time back in the desert. I think I may have reached my breaking point back there." She reached out to grasp Sam's hand warmly and he was momentarily taken aback by her appreciation. Everything about this woman seemed so... _genuine_. She was so different from her sister...

"Yes, and just _how_ did you know where to find them, exactly?" As if on cue, Drew Archer had appeared in Dean's doorway and was now looking hard at Sam. But it was Dean who responded.

"_Drew_, isn't it? We haven't been introduced yet." Dean flashed his most winning smile, but she remained cool. Officer Dalton slipped in the door behind her and Dean went on to explain. "As I told Officer Dalton, I called Sam as soon as I could get a signal on my cell phone... And thank god I got that call off before I dropped the damned thing in the Rio Grande. That would've sucked." He felt Dani's gaze but he didn't look back at her. He just hoped she didn't pick _now _to question his story...

"Ah, I see." Drew looked back at Sam. "I don't suppose you would mind letting Officer Dalton look at your phone to confirm that, now would you, Sam?" The syrupy tone of her voice was at odds with the coldness of her eyes.

Sam swallowed heavily. How could they have forgotten that side of the equation. "Oh, my phone? I think I left it-"

"Isn't that it right there?" Drew deftly plucked the phone from his jacket pocket and Sam could do nothing but stare daggers at her.

She flipped it open and attempted to find his received calls. Sam would have snatched the thing back if it hadn't been for Officer Dalton hovering just over her shoulder. "Maybe I should be doing that, ma'am?" His voice was the epitome of patience, but his outstretched hand didn't leave room for negotiation and Drew passed the phone over to him.

"Of course, officer. My apologies."

Dani looked back and forth between Sam and Dean, trying to figure out what was really going on here... and neither of them looked back at her, adding to her confusion.

She'd told Dean that she trusted him, but... Could Drew be right? Could these two men have something to do with what had happened to her? She looked back at Dean, not wanting to believe it. She'd grown so fond of him in the short amount of time they'd known each other... Could she have been that completely wrong about him?

The fear that crept through her body began to throb like an intensifying headache and she looked back at Officer Dalton, hoping her panic wasn't showing on her face. Her gaze fell on the small device in his hand, and a mantra seemed to begin in her head.

_I don't want to know_... _I don't want to know_... _I don't want to know_...

The cell phone started to smoke in the officer's hands and he dropped it to the ground when it started emitting sparks.

"_Jesus_. What the...?"

Everyone stared in amazement at the broken cell phone on the floor, Dani included.

Sam faced the officer, his face a mask of disbelief. "What the...? What the hell did you do to my phone?"

Dalton was as surprised as everyone else. "Son, I barely touched it. The damned thing just spontaneously combusted or something!"

Drew looked at Sam warily. "Well now. Isn't that convenient?"

Again, Sam was amazed. "What, are you _kidding _me? You think I had something to do with that? Like I rigged the thing to explode or something?"

Drew continued to eye him with mistrust, but now there was something else there as well: _fear_. Sam was certain he wasn't mistaking that.

"OK, well... I guess that ends that discussion." Dalton looked between Drew and Sam speculatively. "But I'll be damned if I ever saw anything like _that _happen before." But he seemed more than willing to let it go, and he moved to the door, shrugging. "Well, I don't have any other questions right now, so I believe I'll head back to the station and sift through the evidence." Drew was clearly about to voice her protest, so he hurried to continue, looking at Sam. "I would prefer, however, that you boys not leave town anytime soon. You take my meaning?"

Sam nodded, as did Dean from his bedside. "Yessir."

Dalton left the room and Drew hurried after him, her complaints fading away as the door closed behind them. Sam turned around to face a shellshocked-looking Dani, and his older brother.

Dean smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say your sister doesn't like us, Dani."

She didn't respond and Dean reached out a hand to her arm. "Hey... You still awake there?"

She jumped a little at his touch and then tried to recover quickly, smiling nervously. "Uh, right. Yeah."

Dean studied her, hoping the whole situation hadn't freaked her out too much. She'd obviously known they were lying to everyone about their names, but was this whole fabricated 'rescue phone call' deal pushing her trust too far? He was about to speak up when Sam interrupted.

"So, wow- what do you make of that?"

"Make of what?" Dean looked confused.

"Dude. _My cell phone exploded_."

Dean nodded. "Yeah... yeah right. That's not... uh..." He glanced at Dani briefly before finishing. "... _normal_."

Dani looked like she was listening, but so far she still wasn't commenting and it was making Dean nervous. And he realized that Sam probably didn't know that _she_ didn't know about the lie; maybe he thought Dean had discussed everything with her in advance and she was cool with it? After all, he did think they'd formed some sort of relationship... which in a way they _had_...

_Damn, I need to talk to Sam_. _Alone_.

He looked over at Dani again, giving her arm a tender squeeze. "You OK?"

She nodded a little too quickly. "I... yeah- I'm fine. But I'm guessing you two need to talk so I better get back to my room."

"You sure you're OK?" He tilted his face to look into hers. "I mean, that whole thing about me calling Sam... I can explain everything to you if-"

"Yeah, I'm..." She moved away from him and started to head for the door, still nodding nervously. "We can talk about it later." She swallowed heavily. "I better go."

And with that, she disappeared from the room.

Dean watched her leave, his heart heavy.

_Shit_. _I've lost her_.

* * *

Dani walked down the hallway, her heart pounding in her head.

I_ destroyed that cell phone_. _It was _me.

After the initial shock had come the dread.

_How did I do that? What if I'd _hurt_ someone?_

And then her sister's frightening words of a week ago slithered around her mind: _"I can do much more than read the occasional mood swing from people, or catch the odd vision of things to come_. _I can do_ a lot _more Dani, and so could you_._ With the proper training_._"_

She tried to smother the welling panic, but she couldn't seem to escape one terrifying thought:

_What am I turning into?_


	17. Chapter 17

"So, she didn't know we were going to pretend that you called me from the desert." Sam looked at Dean's strained expression with a bit of sympathy. "I'm thinking we freaked her out nicely, then."

Dean nodded but said nothing, giving Sam a little more idea of the depth of his brother's concerns.

"Look man, we were going to have to talk to her about her _abilities_ anyway. I mean, it had to have been either her or her sister that blew up my phone and I'm willing to lay odds it wasn't Drew- she clearly wants us in jail, so blowing up evidence that would have caught us in a lie would hardly be to her benefit."

Dean's game face reappeared. "You think _Dani_ fried your phone?"

Sam looked unimpressed. "Dean, I'm hoping you're just malnourished or something because you're really off your game and it's starting to worry me."

Dean half-heartedly scowled at his brother. "Malnourished? Well dude, why don't you make yourself useful then and rustle me up some more pudding?"

* * *

Dani curled her knees up to her chest under the sheets of her hospital bed. She was freaked out alright, but not by anything Sam and Dean had said or done. Her mind was reeling and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

_It wasn't me... I didn't destroy that phone. I couldn't have._

But she wasn't convincing herself of anything. She hadn't wanted Dean to get in trouble. And she also hadn't wanted to entertain the thought that maybe he was lying to her about what was going on. And in her mind, she'd envisioned the cell phone burning up. And that was exactly what had happened. That was beyond coincidence.

_Fuck_.

A knock on her door pulled her back to the present. She looked up, surprised to see Sam's face at the door.

"Hi. Is it OK if I come in?"

Dani nodded and he moved inside, closing the door behind him. She couldn't seem to stop from staring once more. It was so strange to be face to face with someone she'd only seen in visions before today.

Sam seemed to guess what was on her mind. "You've seen me before, haven't you?"

Her brows went up. "What do you mean?"

He smiled but his eyes remained serious. "I mean, you had seen me before we ever met, hadn't you? In a vision?"

Her eyes widened uncontrollably.

Now the smile reached his eyes, along with a dose of sympathy. "It's OK. I have them too, you know- the visions." He sat on the edge of the chair. "That's what brought us here. I _saw_ you."

Her mouth suddenly dry, she tried unsuccessfully to wet her lips. "You're... you're crazy. I have no idea what you're talking about."

He nodded, still smiling. "I've heard that before too. From the others- the others like _us_." Sam could see that she was trembling slightly under the covers and felt a little guilty. "Look, Dani..." He blew out a stream of air and sat up a little straighter. "I'm really sorry. I'm not trying to scare you, I swear. I'm just trying to help you understand that you're not alone. And you're not losing your mind either, trust me."

She didn't say anything, but Sam thought he caught a glimmer of something behind her eyes... _hope_, maybe? So he kept going. "I know you're starting to wonder if you can trust us- Dean and me." She pursed her lips and he grinned again. "Especially Dean, I'm betting... Anyway, we did lie. You obviously know that. But only because we couldn't really tell everyone that I found you guys because I had a vision." He neglected to mention that the vision had been of a completely different timeframe, but he didn't think she was ready to hear about that right now- especially judging by the look on her face. "I swear to you Dani, we only came here to help."

She read the sincerity in his eyes and it made her feel a little better. She finally found the courage to speak. "I... I guess I'm scared."

Sam leaned forward and put a hand on her arm. "Yeah, I know."

"I just... I've never..." She shook her head and trailed off.

"What? You've never told anyone before- about your abilities?"

"No, that's not what... I mean, yeah, you're right. I've never told anyone before. Except maybe..."

"Your sister?"

"Yeah, I guess. Or, at least she always knew." She leaned back into her pillows, thinking for a moment. "But I've never wanted to talk about it. I just didn't want to believe it, I guess. And now..." She looked into his eyes fearfully. "Something's happening, Sam. I... I did something today I've never done before."

Sam nodded in understanding. "My cell phone."

She was surprised again. "You know? You know I did that?"

"I figured it must have been you." He smiled kindly. "You've never done it before?"

She shook her head. "No, never. Before now I just had the visions. And I can also... I can feel things, especially if I focus. Like, I can feel if someone is angry or... uncomfortable. But other than that..." She half shrugged, but then she remembered the sizzling cell phone and frowned at Sam. "Can you... do things like I did today?" She couldn't bring herself to say "destroy" things. It was all just a little too overwhelming at the moment.

"I pretty much only have the visions... but there was this one time. I was trapped in a closet and I saw a vision of Dean in trouble, and I moved the shelf that was blocking the door somehow. With my mind, I guess. I wasn't really trying, it just happened."

"Yeah... That's exactly what happened today. I wasn't trying to do anything. It just happened."

Sam sat back again. "What about your sister? Does she have the same abilities as you?"

The question made her instantly uncomfortable and she felt defensive, although she couldn't have explained why. "I don't really... I mean, I guess so. Yeah." She shifted under the covers. "Sam, I... I think I need some time to myself. I need to process all of this."

Sam stood up and nodded compliantly. "Yeah, of course. I'll leave you be." He started towards the door, but turned back towards her before he left the room. "But Dani, just know you're not alone. If I can help you, I will. I'm still trying to figure out what it all means but... I'll be around if you need me. And so will Dean."

He smiled kindly and then he was gone.

Dani hugged her knees again, slightly less afraid than she'd been before, but just as confused. But at least now she felt a little hopeful again.

And maybe Dean wouldn't think she was a monster after all.

* * *

Dean slept intermittently that night, his thoughts continually returning to Dani.

Between remembering the way she'd been when she'd left his room earlier, and the looming threat of Sam's vision, he was lucky he'd gotten any sleep at all.

_How can I protect her is she doesn't trust me anymore?_

He'd find a way. He had to.

* * *

Dani was finally ready to leave the hospital. She took a last glance in the mirror to see how she looked. She was nervous about seeing Dean again and she wanted to look her best. She grimaced at her many scratches and bruises.

_I guess this is the best I can do right now..._

"Hey there."

Dani turned around in surprise. "Jack? I thought..."

"That'd I run back to Boston with my tail between my legs?" He smirked. "I think you know I don't give up that easily."

"Look Jack, I told you it isn't going to work for us. It hasn't been working for a long time."

He nodded. "I know it hasn't. I know." He moved closer to her. "But I don't want to give up." He put his hands on her arms. "I just want a chance to prove I can be different. Just one chance. Please, Dani."

Dean leaned heavily against the wall outside Dani's room. He had to admit the guy sounded sincere. And he couldn't blame him- Dani was definitely worth fighting for. He stared at his shoes feeling numb.

_Who was I kidding? There's no future for us._

He walked down the hall and out of the hospital.

* * *

Dani didn't think she could put it much plainer, but Jack was nothing if not tenacious. He guided her out the front doors of the hospital before she even realized what was happening.

When the daylight finally snapped her back into consciousness, she was about to turn around and head back inside with the hopes of finding Dean, but then she saw a familiar face climbing behind the wheel of a vaguely familiar large black car across the parking lot in front of the hospital. As Sam pulled the car out, she caught a glimpse of Dean in the passenger seat. Her heart sunk as the car pulled out of the lot and disappeared down the road.

Slightly numb with disappointment, she paid very little attention when Jack led her to back to his car and eased her into the passenger seat. And before long they were pulling up in front of her family home.

* * *

"So you didn't even see her?"

"Nope. She'd already checked out."

Sam laughed. "Dude, it's a hospital, not a hotel. You get released, you don't 'check out'."

Dean scowled humorlessly. "Whatever."

"What's up with you man? You're acting weird."

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just... tired."

Sam regarded his brother shrewdly from the corner of his eye as they parked in front of their motel. "I told you she wasn't upset about our lies, Dean. I told her pretty much everything."

Dean crawled out of the car and then gazed seriously at his brother over the roof of the Impala. "Yeah? Did you happen to mention the part where she's in danger?"

"You _know_ I didn't. There's no point until we figure out what's going on." He shook his head, nonplussed. "Seriously, what's going on with you?"

Dean sighed heavily. "Nothing, man. I'm just really worried about her. I don't like the idea that we're not protecting her."

"Which is why we're going to take shifts and watching the house. I was going to let you take the first shift but if you're tired-"

"Gimme the keys and the address."

* * *

Dani had a feeling that Jack had finally gotten the message. He'd stormed off again and the next time she'd seen him he was heading out into his rental car in the driveway, suitcase in hand.

"I'll never understand you, Dani."

Her shoulders hunched involuntarily but she didn't bother to turn around to look at Drew. "Likewise, I'm sure." Her sister was clearly itching for a fight but Dani just wasn't in the mood. She looked down at the two cars parked at intervals on the street. "Are those security men?"

"Yes."

And then Dani heard Drew moving away down the hallway and she frowned. It seemed they were as close as ever.

She was turning away from the window when something caught her eye... A long, black car was pulling to a stop a distance from the security cars. Even though the street was a good distance from the house, she could see there was only one person in the car. She felt her heart speeding up as she wondered which Winchester brother was behind the wheel.

_

* * *

_

Dean glared at his reflection in the mirror. The thought of Dani in that big house was driving him-

The passenger door opened and she slipped into the car, closing the door behind her. "Hi." She smiled nervously.

His pulse started to thud quickly. "Hi."

Her eyes fell to his shin. "So, uh... how's the leg?"

"Excellent. I can walk on it, no problem." He moved to face her more directly. "How about you? How're you feeling?

"Well, I'm a little stiff and sore but otherwise I feel fine."

Neither of them spoke for a moment and then she looked around the car and then back at him. "This car is really you, Dean."

He couldn't seem to help himself, and he smiled wider. "What, because it's so _manly_?"

She laughed, nodding. "Exactly. But with a sense of humour."

He laughed. "I'll try to just take that as a compliment."

"It is."

Another silence descended and Dani shifted uncomfortably. Then she took a big breath. "Dean, I..." She gave him a bemused look. "I'm really sorry I was acting so strangely yesterday. I didn't mean to just take off like that, but I..." She looked at him helplessly, not knowing how to explain.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you about our phone story Dani, but we-"

"It's OK, Dean. I talked to Sam."

"Yeah, he told me. Still, I should have been up front with you, especially after all we've been through... uh... together."

"Honestly, it's OK. I understand what was going on." Her expression became mildly perplexed. "Or, I sort of do. It's all a little... uh..."

"Crazy? Yeah, welcome to my world." He smirked. "But... are you OK? I mean, how are you handling all this?"

She was touched by the concern in his eyes and felt the sudden urge to throw herself into his arms and let him comfort her. "Well, I don't know if I am handling it yet, but I'll let you know how it goes when I do."

He nodded, smiling. "'Atta girl. You'll be alright. You're strong."

"I don't know about that... but anyway..." She rubbed her knee absently. "What are you doing parked out here?"

"Well..." He'd just apologized to her for not being totally honest with her, so he couldn't exactly back down now. But how much truth could she handle right now? He considered his words carefully. "I wanted to make sure you're safe. We don't know if this is all over yet."

"Ah. Right." She opened the door of the car and climbed out, surprising him. And just as suddenly she was standing at his window. He looked up at her in confusion and she smiled again. "So, it would probably make more sense if you came inside then, wouldn't it?"

He was out of the car in seconds flat. "Yes ma'am."

* * *

"My god. Is she single?"

Dean eyed the doorway where the 60 year old housekeeper had just been standing and Dani laughed.

"Seriously, this may be the best meal I've ever had in my life."

"Wait until I cut you a slice of the pie..."

Mouth full of food, he whimpered with longing and Dani laughed even harder. "Sorry, Dean: she's married."

They'd fallen into a comfortable routine as soon as they'd hit the kitchen and Dani was feeling happier than she could remember being in a very long time. But as usual, a shadow fell.

Drew stood in the doorway, frowning. "I really hope that _this _isn't the reason you sent Jack packing, Dani." She didn't look directly at Dean, but her meaning was clear.

But rather than be offended by her slight, Dean latched on to what she'd revealed: Jack was out of the picture. His elation brought out his usual boldness. "Don't worry, Ms. Archer. I'm actually a Wall Street trader and-"

"Honestly Dani, this is ridiculous. You barely know this man."

"Well, yeah, it's true. And we probably _did _sleep together a little early in our relationship. We probably should have gotten to know each other better first."

Dani looked at the look on her sister's face and burst out laughing. Dean smiled wickedly and she laughed even harder.

And then Dean tried to hide the fact that the look Drew had reserved just for him as she'd exited the room had caused a chill to run down his spine.


	18. Chapter 18

**_A.N.: _**Hey everyone, remember this story? ;) Heh heh. I know, I know- I'm the slackest slacker who ever slacked! Sorry! But anyway, here's some more. And don't forget, this is still in the middle of season 2, before the FBI came into the picture.

* * *

"Great. And I'd already made it perfectly clear to Drew that I didn't want to stay at her home."

Dean's brows went up. "She already asked you to stay there?"

"Yeah- when they first let me out of jail. She claimed she wanted us to work together to find you two."

Dani felt a little surprised to hear that Sam had been invited to stay at her home. Drew wasn't exactly generous about those kinds of things, but then again maybe she had really wanted to have Sam close at hand while they searched for her and Dean. But she felt a small chill down her spine when she considered the more likely scenario- Drew had some kind of hidden agenda running in the background. And the more she considered her sister's words the morning she'd been kidnapped, and the fact that her own "powers" seemed to be changing and growing stronger, the more she worried about Drew's motivations these days.

She tried to clear her head of her worries, at least for the moment. "Look, I don't know what's going on here... Or even why you guys are really here. We've established that you want to protect me, but I really don't understand from what. And I'm guessing you're not actually Bounty Hunters?"

Sam smirked at Dean. "Bounty Hunters?"

Dean shrugged. "It was as close to the truth as I could get."

Sam nodded. "True enough. As close to the truth as we've ever come, anyway. At least in the beginning."

"So what is the truth then?" Dani sat down on one of the motel beds and looked at them both expectantly.

Dean swallowed heavily, his throat suddenly dry. This would be the point when the woman he cared so much about would start to think he was a dangerous nutcase. It had happened before, and he remembered all too well how how painful it had been.

And he was pretty sure it was going to be worse this time.

Dani looked up at him, her big brown eyes full of trust. "Please, just tell me."

Sam eyed his brother in question and Dean sat down in a chair across from Dani. He nodded almost imperceptibly and Sam began.

* * *

She stared into the mirror, flushed and angry.

Drew felt as if time was running out. Nothing had gone the way she had expected... or the way she'd _planned_. She wasn't used to being so emphatically disappointed, not to mention the lack of control she felt right now. It was all just entirely unacceptable.

At first the change in plans had seemed a mere inconvenience, but slowly she'd come to see that she was actually being pushed out of the game; someone was taking her _place._

The mirror slowly cracked as she glared into it.

_No one is taking my place. Over my dead body._

Shards of the mirror snapped away from the wall and flew with deadly precision into the far wall.

_Or over theirs._

* * *

For the moment, everyone was staring quietly in different directions, all lost in their own thoughts.

Sam had finished the story just moments before, but he'd been unable to gauge Dani's reaction at all. Her expression revealed nothing of what was going on in her mind after hearing the Winchester family history, followed by a sampling of "life on the road with Sam and Dean".

Dean was looking gloomily towards the curtained window, as if he was afraid to look at her, and Sam once again felt sympathy for his big brother. He remembered how things had gone down with Cassie. At first Dean said she'd thought he was crazy, but even after she'd come to believe him, and even call on him for help, she still hadn't been able to _accept _it. There'd been no room in her life for Dean's messed-up world.

Truth was, that's why he'd never told Jessica about any of it either.

But Dani was different. She was a part of this whole messed up deal, whether she wanted to accept the truth it or not; she and her sister clearly had a part to play somehow. Sam just hoped she could believe them now, before it was too late.

"So... ghosts and... _demons_?"

Sam's head turned back to Dani. "Yeah, 'fraid so. Amongst other things. But demons are the worst."

"And you use fake names..."

"Yeah. Like I said, we're wanted by the police in a few places. That's why we're 'Corbetts' here. We try to stay under the radar, but that's not always possible. " He sat back and sighed heavily. "The police, they think we're..."

"_Killers_." Dani whispered the word, and then it grew quiet in the small room once again. Dean leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers through his short hair, still not looking at her, but she could feel the tension emanating from him. She wanted to tell him she understood, that it would be alright, but she just wasn't sure at the moment. In fact, she didn't think she'd ever be sure about anything ever again.

Sam watched Dean's shoulders grow even more stiff and frowned. "Dani, you can be honest with us, you know. We've heard it all before. People always think we're nuts... and then they have a run in with the things we hunt and it's a whole new ballgame." He sat beside her on the bed and was relieved when she didn't flinch or try to move away. "Honest to God, I'd be a hell of a lot happier not confiding in you about _any_ of this, but... You have some sort of psychic ability too. And like I told you, there are others like us. And then there's the visions- you're in my visions, and I think maybe you're in danger-"

Dean rose swiftly and squatted in front of her, hands on his knees."Dani, _even_ if you think we're nuts... You gotta know by now that we'd never do anything to hurt you. _I _would never do anything to hurt you. Not if my life depended on it." His eyes were also pleading with her to believe him, and she tried to swallow back her frightened tears.

"Even if you think I'm crazy, please... please just let me protect you. That's all I want to do." He moved his hands to hers, his eyes imploring her. "_Please_."

A tear finally broke loose and slipped down her cheek and Dean's heart felt as tight as a fist. And then she leaned forward and put her forehead to his, eyes closed tightly. "_I'm scared, Dean._"

He wrapped his arms around her and held on to her for all he was worth, his own eyes welling up. "I know you are, Dani. I know." His fingers stroked her back softly. "But I promise you I'll look after you. I won't let anything happen to you, I swear."

Sam smiled sadly as he watched the two of them. Dean had spoken the truth: they'd do everything they possibly could to keep her safe.

But he had a terrible feeling that in the end, it wouldn't be enough.

* * *

The gate closed behind the Impala and Dean drove up the lane, parking in the drive circle in front of the large house. Sam climbed out of the car, once again impressed by the size of the place.

Dani climbed out of the backseat and passed Sam his knapsack as Dean reached in and grabbed his own. Then he stood up and smiled at her across the roof of the car. She smiled back, but he could see it was a little strained and it caused a small ache in his chest. She was trying so hard, but he knew she was still unsure about what they'd told her- unsure about _them. _And he couldn't deny that hurt a little.

But he could hardly blame her.

They went through the front doors and Dani was relieved to see that Drew was nowhere in sight. The housekeeper appeared from nowhere and Dean's smile brightened, even if it was a bit forced. "There she is- the love of my life."

The housekeeper rolled her eyes but she was smiling nonetheless. "I've freshened up some rooms for you boys."

Dani led them upstairs to their rooms and Dean looked into his, grinning at his brother and tried to act like his old self, even if he wasn't entirely feeling the part. "Finally, my own room. It'll be nice not to have to listen to your snoring for a change, Sammy."

Sam looked put out. "I don't snore!"

Dean winked at Dani and she laughed. "Well, if you guys want to sleep or shower or anything right now, please feel free. Or there's a living room just down the hall and down the stairs at the end if you want to watch some TV or something."

Sam nodded. "Thanks. But we don't want to get in your way here, seriously. We-"

"Don't worry about it, Sam. I'm glad you're here. Really." Her smile was small but genuine. Dean felt a different kind of pressure in his heart this time, and he let out a small breath of relief.

_It's a start._

* * *

Drew was absent during dinner which made it all the more pleasant, and Helen had been in her glory, being able to cook a full meal for an extremely appreciative audience. She rarely got to show off her cooking skills since Drew was not usually home long enough to bother with food.

The threesome sat in the living room moaning at their full stomachs. Dean carressed his belly, a lethargic grin on his face. "I think I could safely die a happy man right now."

Sam nodded. "Honest to god, that was probably the best meal I've ever had in my entire life. And the pie..."

"Oh, the _pie_." Dean practically moaned the word

Dani was feeling the most relaxed she'd felt all day. It was probably just because she was incredibly full but she didn't care. She just wanted a moment's peace from the craziness of the last couple weeks.

Sam and Dean _hemmed_ and _hawwed_ about getting up and doing some research or a little organizing, but in the end they all found themselves slackly layed out on the sofas watching movies.

Dean watched his brother out of the corner of his eye and wondered how long it had been since Sam had been allowed to just relax and enjoy himself. His kid brother had managed to have a life for a while- a _real_ life. He couldn't even really imagine what that was like.

He looked over at Dani trying to keep her eyes open and wished that all of their lives ahd been different.

"Yeah so, that movie pretty much..." Sam stretched his arms over his head.

"Sucked?" Dani yawned the word.

"Aw, it wasn't that bad." Dean grinned. "You two just need to learn to appreciate the simple things." Two pairs of eyes looked at him skeptically and he put up his hands in defeat. "OK, it sucked."

Sam yawned for the umpteenth time, but didn't miss how Dean's glance lingered just a little longer than normal on Dani. He decided it was time to make his exit. Not that he minded- he was beat. "Well, I'm going to go take advantage of that awesome looking bed up there. Thanks again, Dani."

She tried to reply but it was smothered by her own yawn. She laughed. "I don't think I'm too far behind you. Have a good sleep, Sam."

The tall man lumbered off down the hall and disappeared from sight.

Dean smiled at Dani, but when she smiled back the tension still lurked behind the scenes. He wished he knew how to get things back to how they'd been before, but he knew they were well past that place now.

"Listen, thanks for everything, Dani. This is a lot more than Sam and I usually get to experience. I mean, you saw the No-Tell Motel where we would have been staying. It means a lot to us that you're letting us stay here." He moved over to sit beside her, but he looked at his feet as he spoke. "It means a lot to me."

It was obvious to Dani then just how aware Dean was of her discomfort. She clearly hadn't been hiding how weirded-out she was very well. "Dean, I'm... I'm sorry I've been acting odd today. I just-"

"Dani, stop." He looked at her now. "I'm amazed you even let us stay here after everything we told you today. In fact, I can't believe you even let us through the front doors." Then he seemed to think about it, and started to laugh lightly. "Actually, that's not true. You've been pretty damned amazing through this whole thing."

She smirked. "I don't know about that. There were times..." She shrugged tiredly.

"Yeah well, there are _times_ for all of us. And that's even for those of us who _don't_ fall down a couple times a day so..."

She started to laugh and his heart practically expanded while he watched a little of the sparkle re-appear in her eyes. His own eyes lingered on hers as he smiled back. And then the heat between them was instant and palpable. Dani was once again all too aware of the magnetic man sitting beside her, and she couldn't look away. Dean swallowed as he watched the transformation, his own body responding in kind.

And then he looked away, clearing his throat before standing up in front of her.

As she looked up at him in confusion, he seemed equally uncertain as he spoke. "Dani, I... we're both beat. I think I'm going to turn in. Although I might need you to lead me back down that maze of a hallway. I'm not sure where I'd end up otherwise."

She swallowed heavily, still confused but trying not to show it. "Yeah. Of course. Follow me."

She stood quickly and moved towards the hallway, hoping her disappointment wasn't too obvious to Dean. He followed behind her, just as disappointed. But he knew it would be a bad idea to let his desire for her overwhelm them both right now. It was too soo after they'd revealed the other side of the world to her; the darker side. She was obviously still reeling from the craziness of it all. He wanted her so bad it was killing him, but it just wouldn't be right... He couldn't take advantage of her at such a vulnerable moment. He wouldn't do that to her.

They reached the door to his room and she lingered there, smiling timidly. "Well, goodnight. Sweet dreams."

"You too. I'll see you in the morning. I'm really looking forward to breakfast."

She laughed softly and he wanted to pull her hard against his body. But he didn't. She nodded slightly and then turned away and headed down the hallway.

Dean closed the door and then leaned his head against it.

_Fuck._

* * *

Dani slipped into the t-shirt she slept in and sat on her bed, feeling rejected. She looked down at her bruised knees and scuffed toenail polish and sighed.

_I'm a mess anyway. Even if Dean _had_ wanted me..._

She climbed under the covers and switched off her bedside lamp, wondering how she'd ever get to sleep.

A sleepless hour later, Dani climbed back out of bed and made her way through the darkened bedroom to her bathroom. She got some water and headed back towards her bed, but stopped when she noticed a shadow moving in the hall outside her door. She didn't move for a moment, afraid that one of the things that Sam and Dean had been warning her about had come calling.

When the shadow didn't pass by again, she crept back into her bathroom and grabbed the hardest item she could find- her blowdryer. She moved quietly to her bedroom door and opened it a crack. She peeked out but saw nothing. Her heart pounding in her ears, she opened the door a little wider, clutching the hair appliance tightly. She looked to the left and seeing nothing quickly looked right... and jumped back with a small screetch, dropping the blowdryer to the carpeted floor. Dean stood leaning against a wall, smirking at her.

"Nice weapon. Gives new meaning to 'blowing someone away'."

She clutched her heart as she recovered, and then laughed as the fear seeped out of her body. "You scared the hell out of me."

He had the decency to look chagrined. "Sorry. I just... I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd just..."

When he trailed off awkwardly, she tried to finish his thought for him. "Check up on me?"

He nodded, grinning sheepishly. "Yeah."

"Um, thanks."

"All part of the service."

"Right. The service. That's, uh... excellent."

"Yeah. Um..."

"Yeah." She looked at the wall beside him for a minute, beyond uncomfortable now. "Um, Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you planning on staying out here all night?"

"Well, I... Maybe."

"Oh. OK. That's... That's, uh..." She straightened her shoulders a little. "You could... uh... you could... come inside. If you wanted... to."

He held his breath for a moment, and when he responded it came out in a rush of air. "Oh, yeah... I..." He put his hands in his jeans pockets again. "I better... not."

Defeated beyond all belief, she realized it was time to give up. She tried not to sound too deflated. "Right. OK, then. Um... goodnight. Again."

Watching her shoulders sag was too much for him and he reached out for her arm. "Dani, I... I'm sorry. I just... I don't..."

"It's OK, Dean. I get it." She smiled gently. "I guess I just... misunderstood. I thought maybe you... that you had some... uh... some feelings, maybe... for... for me. But I get it now, so don't worry." She shrugged slightly. "It's OK."

Dean moved between her and the open doorway, blocking her escape. She gasped at the sudden intensity of his gaze.

"You really think I don't have _feelings_ for you? While I'm standing here, holding it all in... I can't think of a single, solitary moment in my life when I've wanted something more than I want you."

She swallowed thickly. "I... you _do?_"

"I think you _know_ I do."

"Then why...?"

"Because you're confused and scared and... you probably don't even know what to make of me anymore. I couldn't... I can't do that to you... Not when you probably don't even know if you believe me, or if you can even trust me." He couldn't bring himself to say the words: _I probably even scare you a little now._

His eyes were on fire, but there was something else there too. She could see that he was hurting inside and it caused her more than a little anguish.

"Oh, Dean... I... It's true that I don't know what to make of all this. I honestly don't know what to believe in anymore. And I'm scared; I'm really, really scared." She shook her head helplessly, but then she stepped in closer to him and he found himself holding his breath as she continued. "But I'm not scared when I'm with you. I _know _I can trust you. No matter what, I believe in_ you_. That's something that _hasn't_ changed." She reached up and put her hand on his cheek. "You're the one thing I do know to be real in this whole screwed-up mess, and I don't know what I'd do without you." Her fingers moved gently against his face as she smiled softly. "I can't... I can't imagine my life without you in it anymore, and I don't want to."

Swearing under his breath, Dean pulled her into his arms and both of them moaned as his lips crashed hungrily down upon hers.


	19. Chapter 19

With his back against the door jam, Dean spread his legs a little wider and pulled Dani closer to him, deepening the kiss. It evolved from desperate need into blissful, mind-numbing hunger in the space of a heartbeat and Dani's core began to burn with longing.

She pressed her hips against his inner thighs and wasn't surprised to feel a hardness pressing against her belly. She clutched at his shirt as if she was afraid he might get away on her. And when his hands slid down to grasp her bottom and his hips started to rock against her lightly, she groaned into his mouth and started pulling him backwards into her room. He wrapped his body around hers and the two of them danced back towards her bed. Dean kicked the door shut behind them, immersing them in moonlit darkness.

He eased her down on the bed and covered her body with his own, his lips never leaving hers. Her hands slid up under his shirt and he pulled back momentarily as she forced the unnecessary garment over his head. He found himself pausing over her as her fingers slid an electric trail across his chest. He could see her smile in the pale moonlight, her dark eyes glittering.

"Dean you're so…" She slid her hands down to his stomach. "...d_evilishly handsome_."

He laughed in surprise and then grabbed one of her hands, kissing the palm tenderly. "You are truly unlike any woman I've ever known, you know that?"

He stayed above her and she reached up to touch his face with her fingertips, tracing the line of his lips. She swallowed heavily when she felt his hand slip under the hem of her t-shirt, slowly tugging it upward. He grazed one of her breasts and she gasped, quickly pulling the shirt the rest of the way off. Dean smiled down at her and ran a finger lightly across her collarbone. "I knew you were beautiful, but…" He shook his head slightly and drew in a ragged breath as his fingers slid down to one of her soft breasts. She arched up towards him, longing for for his touch. When he moved his thumb over one swollen peak, she closed her eyes in pleasure.

When his lips claimed her other nipple, her hips moved upwards of their own volition and vibrations rolled through Dean's already swollen crotch in response. His mouth continued to tease her tender peak, but his other hand moved to the fly of his jeans and almost magically, he was suddenly naked beside her. He moved over top of her and her pelvis pushed upward again involuntarily, her hands sliding down to his tensed behind, pulling him towards her. His mouth slowly moved between her two breasts until both were almost painfully erect and then he slid down her body, kissing every inch of her skin along the way.

His fingers slipped inside the waistband of her panties at the same time that he flicked his tongue into her belly button, and she bit her lip, grasping at his hair. She moaned softly when his fingers dragged the thin cotton down and away. Pushing her legs gently apart, he moved between them, crouching at the foot of her bed. He ran his fingers back and forth along her inner thigh until she thought she might lose her mind. Completely sensitized now, her moist folds of skin began to pulsate more intensely, and when his breath fluttered over them, she was about to start begging... and then his fingers slid across her hot, wet centre and stayed there, stroking lazily.

"Oh... god..." Her hips moved with every stroke of his fingers and Dean grew harder still. He licked his dry lips and fought back the urge to just force himself deep inside her again and again until he'd drained his body of fluids. And if it had been anyone else, he might have done just that... But not with Dani. His heart was running the show on this one, and his heart wanted to blow her mind.

His strokes grew faster and she began to twist beneath him, whimpering softly. He couldn't believe she was almost there already; he'd barely begun to pleasure her. And when she pushed her body against his hand to sensually demand more, he once again had to hold his primal urges in check.

Suddenly, he slipped a finger inside her while the others continued their assault on her swollen nub and she arched higher and cried out. Dean could feel her muscles moving against his fingers as the climax took over, and he breathed raggedly while she came in his hands, her muscles clenching and unclenching around him. His heart pounded fiercely as he watched her writhe and twist in pleasure below him, making erotic little noises of rapture.

As she began to come back to her senses, he slowed his fingers to a soft caress... and then his mouth took over and she felt the liquid pleasure consume her once again. She pushed herself into his mouth as his fingers gripped her hips and forged a rhythm out for her as his tongue flicked and demanded, penetrated and lapped. He groaned into her juices and she was so susceptible to sensation now that she felt the vibrations. When his tongue began to thrum wildly against her nub and his fingers once again slid inside her, she felt a whoosh of molten pleasure burn through her centre and she threw her head back in ecstasy once more, her mind going blank to anything but sensation.

* * *

Dean kissed his way erotically back up her body, stopping momentarily to attend fully to each breast before he reached her lips. Dani groaned blissfully into his mouth and slid her hands up his back, pulling him down onto her body. The feel of her warm, moist curls against his swollen penis made him shiver with longing.

As if sensing his need, Dani parted her legs underneath him, slipping a foot along the back of his calf while her knees cradled him. Her hands slid down his back to run sensually over his muscled buttocks, and she kissed her way around the side of his face and nibbled gently on his earlobe. Again, he shivered on top of her, and her right hand slid down his side to reach between them. He pulled his hips upwards so she could touch him but he almost fell back into her when he felt her fingers slide along his shaft for the first time. He pushed slightly off to the side and rested on one elbow to compensate, but the feel of her hand was burning him up.

Dani looked into the shining eyes beside her and smiled- there was nothing she wanted more in the world right now then to make this man feel as alive as he'd just made her feel.

She leaned up to recapture his mouth with hers and then stroked him a little harder. He breathed heavily into her lips... and then pulled his mouth away completely to suck in a big breath when her hand found its way down to his throbbing testes, giving them a gentle, erotic massage. His head fell back and she pushed him all the way down on his back and leaned over him. She began to kiss his chest and his stomach, her fingers still massaging electrically across his most sensitive skin as his legs moved restlessly in response. He wasn't sure he could take much more of this...

Before his brain could process the information, Dani had slid her legs over him and was sitting above his swollen crotch, her wet heat assaulting his senses. She'd done no more than push herself more firmly against him once before he was groaning out the words, "God Dani... I can't wait... I-"

He half-sat and pushed her thighs apart, pushing himself up into her with one deep thrust. They both cried out, and she wrapped her legs around his back, as if to force him further inside her. Grabbing her waist, he began to pull and push her into his lap and he could feel her legs gripping him tightly in response. She leaned back, her hands grabbing the bed in an attempt to push harder, but Dean suddenly grasped her bottom and lifted her up before forcing her on to her back on the mattress underneath him, miraculously without losing their connection. She spread her knees wide and grabbed at his behind again, wanting him deep inside her. He obliged her by pushing himself as far as her body would allow him to.

As her hands dug into him and she moved her hips in rhythm with his, he thrust faster and faster, a low moan building in his throat as her body tightened around him. And just when he thought he couldn't take any more, the stars burst before his eyes and his hips began to thrust erratically as he came like an explosion inside her. Crying out herself from the passionate onslaught, Dani clutched him to her closely, holding on for all she was worth as his body pumped hers for every ounce of pleasure it had.

Gradually, he slowed to a gentle rhythm, and then stopped moving altogether, resting his chin on her shoulder and kissing the side of her face softly. She carressed his back lovingly and relished the feel of him on top of, and still inside of her. As if reading her mind, he voiced her thoughts for her.

"I could stay like this forever."

Warmth stole into her heart, causing it to beat a little faster once more and she whispered back to him. "Me too."

He sighed happily and burrowed his face a little closer into her neck, his arms holding her tighter. She kissed his hair and slid her fingers up the back of his neck to massage him. He kissed her neck, making her shiver.

"Cold?"

She laughed softly, feeling the beads of sweat that lay between their bodies. "No. Just... amazed."

He moved slightly and she felt a bit disappointed when he slipped out from inside her. But he gathered her up in his arms and kissed her face repeatedly, making her sigh with happiness once again.

"Amazed at what?"

"At how... That was just incredible, Dean. I've never... I mean not _ever... _felt _anything_ like that before."

He smiled as he kissed her temples. "Well, as much as I usually like to congratulate myself for my sexual prowess... I'd have to say that in this case, it took two to tango." He turned her in his arms so he could look into her face, and he reached up to stroke her cheek. "You were beautiful and sensual and delicious." He looked somewhat amazed himself now. "I don't even think I can describe how you make me feel."

She could feel her face heating up, but thankfully he wouldn't be able to see her reddened cheeks. "Really?" She didn't know if she could believe him. How could it have had anything to do with her? She'd never experienced anything even remotely like that before. Not to mention she wasn't exactly that experienced-

"I think sometimes people are just..." He trailed off and she smiled quizzically.

"What?"

He groaned. "This is going to sound lame but... I think some people are just made to be together."

Her smile grew. "Yeah?"

He pulled her closer, laughing. "Man, I swear I'm much cooler than this." She laughed with him and he ran his fingers sensually over her back. "I swear, I've never been the kind of guy who believed in that sort of shit, I swear, but you... You've got me thinking a little differently."

Another shiver went through her, but this time Dean recognized it for what it was: surprise. And pleasure.

"Dean, I don't think you're being uncool at all. I was serious when I said that I've never experienced anything like this before. I think..." She laughed uncomfortably. "I think maybe we're pretty fantastic together."

He laughed and pulled her closer. "_Damn_ _right_ we are."

His skin felt unbelievable against hers and she wasn't surprised to feel arousal building within her once more. She turned to face him and pushed her hips closer to his, running her fingertips suggestively down his body. "Still, there's no harm in making sure, is there?" She moved her lips to his, lightly gnawing at his bottom lip with her teeth as her hands continued lower.

He gave a low, animal-like growl before he crushed her body into his and began to slowly and passionately devour her, inch by delectable inch...


	20. Chapter 20

The sun was streaming through the windows, and a wisp of it fell across Dani's eyes, rousing her. She took in a deep breath and sighed into the neck beside her lips. As she felt Dean in her arms, she smiled and opened her eyes.

He was still sleeping, his face turned slightly away from her. She kissed his neck softly and squeezed her arms a little more tightly around him. His eyelashes flickered and then his mouth spread into a smile as he opened his eyes and turned to face her. He rolled slightly and pulled her into his arms, kissing her temple.

"Good morning, Miss Archer."

"Mr. Winchester. Sleep well?"

He sighed into her hair. "Definitely. Although I could probably have done with a little less_ sleep._"

She laughed lightly and kissed his throat. "Mmmmmm."

Dean's hands glided slowly downwards, caressing her skin sensually as they went. "God you're soft. I can't stop touching you."

"I'm fine with that." Her own fingers slipped across his lean, hard body. She could feel him hardening against her belly and her own muscles contracted in response. Her hand moved down to encourage him further and she smiled at his sudden groan. "Something wrong?"

He laughed softly. "No. Definitely not."

And then much to her delight, she found herself being pulled on top of him.

* * *

Dean chewed on her earlobe thoughtfully. "Is it just me, or was that just a pretty freaking fantastic night we just spent together."

"Um yeah, I'd say that describes it. And don't forget this morning. That was a pretty fan-freaking-tastic morning, too."

Dean moved his had around so they were looking at each other. "Damn. I should have screwed you silly in that cave."

"Dean!" Dani tried to appear appalled but her bark of surprised laughter minimized the effect.

"What?" He grinned cheekily. "I can't help it if I'm a class act. It was my uptown breeding."

She laughed into his lips. " Sweetie, you're like school on a Saturday: NO CLASS."

He laughed louder and wrestled her underneath him, protesting, "Hey now! You can't fault a man for being honest. What would you prefer I call it?"

She squirmed underneath him, giggling. "I don't know. I guess I just prefer to say 'making love'. Especially when..." She trailed off, her cheeks reddening and Dean moved his face in closer to hers, smiling seductively.

"Especially when what?"

She struggled half-heartedly and had trouble looking him in the eyes. "Um... well... When two people care about each other, I guess."

She finally looked him in the face and his eyes took on an air of consideration. "Don't take this the wrong way but, did you and Jack call it making love?"

Slightly bemused but curious as to where he was heading with this line of questioning, she answered him slowly. "Yeah, I guess we did."

"And did you mean it?"

She swallowed, uncertain. "Well... some of the time, I guess."

"But not all the time."

She tried to shrug, but she was still pinned beneath him. "What are you talking about here, Dean?"

"I'm just saying that sometimes people hide behind words. I try not to say stuff I don't mean." He realized how that sounded when a hurt expression crossed her face, and he backpedalled quickly. "I _mean, _I try not to say stuff I don't mean to the people I care about."

Her eyes sparkled as she recovered, but she was still clearly a little uncertain. "That's... That's good to know, I guess."

He leaned down to kiss her gently. "So Dani, what I'm trying to say is... you're right."

"I am?"

"Yeah. I should have made love to you back in that freakin' cave."

Heat spread through her body and her heart pounded painfully in her chest. "Yeah, you should have."

* * *

Sam didn't have to guess too hard to figure out why he hadn't seen Dean or Dani yet today. He checked his watch: just after 1pm. Surely they'd have to come up for food soon.

He had just returned to his computer when a knock sounded at his door. About to compliment his brother on his stamina, he was taken aback to find Drew in the doorway.

"Hello Sam. Sleep well?"

"Like a baby, thanks. You have a wonderful home."

"Don't I? I try not to take it for granted."

Sam wasn't convinced of that, but chose to remain silent on the point. "So... what can I do for you?"

"Well, I was hoping maybe you could help me out with something." She chewed on her bottom lip, clearly uncomfortable about something.

Sam finally had to prompt her to continue. "Since you were considerate enough to put my brother and me up for the night, I guess it's the least I can do."

She looked a bit unsettled. "It's just that... you're probably going to think I'm crazy."

That was a line Sam was all too familiar with. Where was she going with this? "I doubt it." He looked at her earnestly.

"OK... Sometimes... Sometimes I see things. Things that haven't happened yet."

The only part of it that surprised him was that she was coming clean to him about it. "Like visions?"

"See, I told you you'd think I was insane."

"No, actually I don't."

She arched an eyebrow. "You _don't_ think I'm making this up?"

"Are you?"

She stared seriously at him. "No, I'm not."

"OK then, tell me what you saw."

"I saw someone... and my sister. And something terrible."

"Terrible how?"

"_Terrible_ as in someone gets hurt... or maybe worse."

"Who?" He watched her closely now, looking for deceit. But she looked honestly unnerved when she answered him.

"I... I don't know. It goes all... blurry. I can't see..." She crossed her arms, rubbing them distractedly. "I only see my sister and a flash of someone else... someone I can't see clearly. "And the place..." She swallowed heavily "... and then there's a lot of blood."

"Where? Where's the place? Do you recognize it?"

"That's the thing. _That's_ why I was so disbelieving of everything that happened the other day with your brother and Dani and... and you. You were already there- the place where my vision takes place."

_Kuaua_ _Pueblo._

Sam felt a little shiver run down his spine. Had she had a different perspective on the same vision he'd had? He didn't even know if that was possible, but he hadn't told anyone except Dean about what he'd seen, and her story seemed remarkably similar. The only difference was that she seemed to know which sister had been in the vision.

"You're not freaking out because you have them too, don't you?" She was watching him carefully. "You have visions too."

He still wasn't sure he should trust her, but he couldn't deny she looked like she was in earnest now. "Yeah. Yeah I do. That's what brought us here- my brother and I."

She nodded. "I knew it. The other day outside the jail... you had this faraway look on your face that I've seen many times before. Whenever Dani has a vision, that's what she looks like. I'm guessing I do too."

He nodded back, remembering. "You didn't say anything."

She smirked. "Right. I should have just said, 'Excuse me for interrupting, Sam, but are you having a vision of the future right now?'"

"Point taken."

"You said the visions brought you here... For what, exactly? What were you planning to do about them?"

He sighed heavily. "Truthfully, I don't know. I've had them before about other people with special 'powers' and... Well, we usually just try to help out." He leaned back against his chair. "Sometimes we can and sometimes we're too late."

Drew moved to his bed and sat down. "So there are other people like us? Do you know why we have them? I mean, if we're having visions of the same things... does that mean we're connected somehow?"

Despite her recent disclosures, Sam felt he should hold back somewhat on what he revealed to her. "That's what we're trying to figure out. We're hoping if we keep following where they lead us, we'll find out what it all means."

She looked past him out the window, seemingly deep in contemplation. When she finally spoke, her words surprised him.

"OK then. I guess I'm going to have to go back out there. It must have something to do with that place and I'm going to find out what it is. I can't let anything happen to my sister."

Sam didn't know what to say at first. This was an unexpected development. Maybe he'd underestimated her motives. Were all her past actions really just a means to protect her sister? After all, he'd do anything to protect his own brother...

"I'll go wth you."

Her brows went up. "That's really not necessary, Sam. I don't even know what I'm looking for yet, so it's all probably just a wild goose chase anyway."

"Yeah well, I have some experience at these things. If there's something to be found, I'd have a better chance of finding it."

"Why do you want to help, anyway?"

"Like I told you, everything we learn brings us a little closer to understanding what it all means." _That, and I'm pretty sure my brother has fallen hard for your sister and I don't want to see him go through what I did when Jessica was killed..._

She stared at him for a moment. "Alright. I guess it couldn't hurt to have another set of eyes out there." She stood up and made to leave the room. "I'm going to go change. Give me 20 minutes and then we should head out. It'll take a while to drive back up there..." She trailed off as something ocurred to her. "Sam, if we're going to do this, I don't want Dani involved. So, as much as it pains me to say this, I'd prefer if you left your brother out of this. That way she'll be with him... and not in danger." The look on her face betrayed her obvious distaste at the idea of Dani and Dean together, but he chose to ignore it.

"Fine. I'll tell him to stay here with her."

She shrugged as if to say 'whatever' and disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

Dean could hear knocking in the periphery, but was far too engrossed in what the beautiful woman crouching below him was doing to him at the moment to manage more than a groan in response.

Sam's nose wrinkled as he tried to dispell the images that his brother's groan had brought to mind, and he walked quickly back to his room in search of pen and paper.


End file.
